Persona: Ideals
by Forcesword12
Summary: An action-filled Adventure with my OCs. Don't worry, nobody's overpowered. In fact, a few friends of mine who are often very critical of things have called it dark due to the events within. THERE IS SWEARING! If you don't like it, don't read it! Also, there are pairings eventually!
1. Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1

_Drip_

_Drip_

_Drip_

_'RUN JAY! RUN, AND NEVER LOOK BACK, NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS TO YOUR MOTHER AND I!'_

_'DAD, NO~!'_

The whirring sound of the tram car going opposite my own brought me back to reality of where I was. I checked where we were.

'We're almost there...' I thought to myself before checking the time. With a smile, I thought, 'Good. I was almost sure that the Tram would end up being super late.' Suddenly, the synthesized voice of the tram announcement rang out.

"Now arriving at: Lapillus Station South." Hearing my destination being called, I grabbed my luggage, and waited by the door, watching as my tram slowed to a halt, and the clear panes opened, spilling out passengers. I stepped out into a large, mostly white-tiled room that would put any of the stations back home in New Jersey to shame, though upon further examination, it did look pretty sketchy. As I stepped out, I could see a set of seats back-to-back to one another a few feet forward and to the left. Around ten yards in front of where I got out was a fast-food stand, with a vending machine next to it, and to the left of that were two doors that had a sign above that said "BATHROOM." It was a little hard to tell if the short girl who was picking me up was here or not, since the station had crowded with people. I felt a small tap on my right arm. Immediately, I turned my head to see my baby cousin, Ami, standing there with this stupidly wide grin on her face. Ami was about five feet tall, with dark brown hair and brown eyes, and today she wore a black jacket, a pair of khaki pants, and some running shoes. Since we had always kept in touch, but had been unable to see one another for quite a while, we both appreciated the chance to catch up, despite the fact that this wasn't in the least what I'd consider "good conditions."

"Hey, Shorty," I said teasingly, "how have you been?" she hit me in the arm lightly and took one of my bags.

"Well, aren't you rude, mister 'I-don't-have-anywhere-to-stay-and-I-need-a-place?' I have been fine, thank you." She laughed, before saying seriously, "How've you been though? I know that having both your mom and dad go in the same day could be real painful…" I smiled somberly, and then replied,

"I'm okay, for now, though that might be the anti-depressants talking. We'll know when I start trying to find work here. You said Lapillus is a real small town?" she looked up in a thinking motion.

"Hmm, not necessarily small, just a real suburban area. Shouldn't be too hard to get used to, provided you have a bike of some varying degree." We began to walk towards the exit, "Oh, and a few things you should know. One, the school here has a bullying issue, so watch out for that, two, there's a lot of stray kittens, so always have some kind of cat food if you want to see them often, and three, don't stay out past twelve, all right? That one especially MUST be followed, no matter who says otherwise." That made a chill rush down my body.

"Sure sure, but uh, why?" She gave me a dark glare.

"Just hope you aren't out past 12 to have an answer to answer that." I shrugged it off, though I tried to keep it in the back of my mind.

"Anyway," I said, trying to change the subject desperately and avoid anything that sounded straight out of a video game, "how's Aunt Kay?" Ami returned to her normal, pleasant self.

"She's okay. I still can't force her to take her meds if she doesn't want to…"

"Hey, I'm happy she's taking them period, you know?"

"Can't argue with you there." Ami said in finality. We were outside now, and Aunt Kay's mini-van had pulled up, and we began to put the luggage in the trunk. After we got that finished, and were inside, Aunt Kay and I had a mostly pleasant conversation. The mini-van was a maroon red from the exterior, and was your average family vehicle, though it looked like it hadn't been cleaned in a while. Aunt Kay was thirty-five, and like her daughter, she had dark brown hair and dark eyes. Unlike Ami, however, she wore a light blue jacket and black pants. Again, like Ami, she avoided the topic of the Midnight Curfew. I sighed after five minutes of me trying to pry them for information.

"Look," I said, "I don't really care; it's just that, its 11:58 now, so…" Ami and Aunt Kay's eyes went wide with panic. It was around that time that I noticed that cars on the roads were unusually scarce, and Aunt Kay was starting to drive just that much faster so that I noticed, and Ami became just that much more jumpy to where I noticed that too… "Okay," I started, really getting fed up with this, "if this is a joke, this isn't funny. What the hell is going-" I got interrupted when the car hit something hard, hard enough for alarm. A loud screeching noise sounded from outside, and suddenly, the car felt like something had jumped on top of it.

"Both of you, out of the car, now!" Aunt Kay shouted. Before I had time to react, Ami had pulled me out of the car and onto the pavement. Ami looked above and behind me in horror at something I couldn't see. Suddenly, all sound in the world ceased, except for one…

_Drip_

_Drip_

_Drip_

_Pant_

Ami covered her mouth, and fell to the ground in fear, while the memories of my parents' deaths swirled in my mind, joined with the terrible sight of the beast before us...

_Drip_

_Pant_

_Drip_

_Pant_

_Drip_

_Pant_

Those were the sounds that resonated as I stared up at the silhouette etched out by the crescent moon's strange red gaze. From what little light there was, I saw the saliva dripping from the mouth of this beast; it carried the hind legs of a powerful Crocodile, its tail was the long neck and head of a serpent, it's back carried the head of a goat, and its front (main head, front paws, chest) were that of a proud Lion.

"C-Chimera…" I whispered, having known the beast from mythology. It leaped down from the crushed roof of the mini-van, and the Lion's head glared into my eyes, and we were but inches from one another. It reeled back, and lifted its viciously large claw to attack. I scrambled to my feet as one of the claws scraped my face and sent me flying into the asphalt. I got up to try and help Ami get away from the Chimera, but it seemed to be focused on just me.

What happens next, you may find…Hard to believe, and as if this shit isn't hard enough to believe as-is. While the Chimera was trying to swing its paw to attack again, and this all happens in the span of about three seconds, something in me went off. I could never tell you what it is, maybe just instinct to survive, who knows. Cyan outlined my vision for a moment, and then I heard it; a loud, powerful, confident roar of a beast that was strong and it knew it. Suddenly, a pressure built rapidly in my head. I gripped my head as it felt like a melon about to split. Then, out of what I could only describe as instinct, came my voice, shouting a single word into the night sky.

"PERSONA!"


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2**

"PERSONA!" I cried out at the top of my lungs. Suddenly, another black figure, one which I couldn't detect the shape of in the struggle between both beasts, was on the Chimera. I saw claws slashing, teeth gnawing, and then, I watched as the being battling the Chimera let out the screech of a bird, and sent a wall of fire right towards the beast it battled, after which, the creature disappeared, leaving a very frustrated and angry Chimera for me to deal with.

"Hey!" Ami cried, "take this!" she threw me a rather fancy rapier. Since the rushing Chimera was more important, I decided to ignore the fact that my cousin pulled out a Rapier out of thin air. I dodged out of the way of the Chimera's bite, and I slashed its right eye. That sent the beast reeling, and severely limited the ways in which it could try and choose to murder me. Using the Chimera's lack-of-attacking to my advantage, I called out "Persona!" again, with the image of the black being breathing fire fresh in my mind. The creature appeared, breathed fire on the already ill Chimera, and disappeared. Burned, and with a slashed eye, the Chimera only seemed to get more enraged, and leaped toward me. I tried to block with my blade, but the beast simply pushed through it. It's claws dug deep into my chest, each one feeling like a razor. I screamed in pain as the Chimera went to bite me, and out of desperation, focused as much as I could on the Chimera's approaching maw. Suddenly, I felt a rush of heat go past the right side of my face, and a fireball zoomed past, hitting the Chimera square in the jaw and burning the inside of its mouth. The Chimera howled painfully in defeat before dropping me, and falling to its side. The beast melted into the ground, and the moon returned to its normal pale color. My breath was shaky, and now that the adrenaline had stopped pumping through me like gasoline in a car, I felt especially weak. So much so, that I collapsed onto the ground.

I awoke, funnily enough, sitting in a window seat on an airplane that rose above some pink and gold clouds.

"Welcome, my dear boy, to the Velvet Room, hmhmhm…" Spoke a strange, old voice. I suddenly noticed the old man with the creepy-as-hell long nose before me. (SERIOUSLY, THAT THING IS LIKE A FOOT AND A HALF LONG.) "Be calm, you are safe in your world. I simply thought that we might get acquainted, now that you'll most certainly be seeing this place more often. I am Igor… And you are?" A fancy leather book with a fountain pen beside it floated down onto the table before me, then opened up to the first page, where two lines were, one for the first name, one for the last. Understanding that he really wanted me to sign rather than tell him, I wrote my name: Jameson Grivuura.

"Ah, a pleasure to meet you, Jameson." He said with a tone half sounding of mischief and half respect in his voice.

"And you as well, Igor, though I prefer Jay, if you'd be so kind." Igor nodded, and closed the book by moving his hand over it, but not actually touching it.

"A quick question though...Where am I?"

"You are in the Velvet Room, a place between dreams, and reality. Mind, and matter." I sighed at the cryptic speech of the old man, as he continued, "Now then, Mister Jay, it is time for you to meet my assistant. I believe she will be back any moment now…" As if on cue, a woman in a strange blue flight attendant's robe sat next to Igor. She had pale pink hair, and fair skin. "Ah, here she is. This is Mia." I nodded to her, and she to me.

"Nice to meet you, Mia."

"And you as well."

"Now that introductions are taken care of," Igor said, clearing his throat, "you're probably wondering what that was that attacked the Chimera for you. That, my friend, is your Persona." I must have given him a confused look, because he quickly elaborated, "The facet or personality that allows you to face life's hardships, fully manifested as a physical being." I nodded, basically following.

"And mine happened to be a giant black being that controls fire?" Igor got a chuckle out of this.

"An ancient Hawk, dear boy." He motioned to Mia, who brought up a leather-bound book bigger than my arm. "And not just any old one, either." The book flipped to a page describing a Persona called "Vedrfolnir," a large black bird that had control over fire.

"Now then," began Igor, "A Persona, as I said, is a facet of your personality that-"

"That helps you through difficult times, yes, I know." I stated suddenly, interrupting Igor, who raised an eyebrow at my comment,

"Oh? How would you know that, precisely?" I smiled,

"My family has a...history...with Personas." Igor smiled at the realization of what I spoke of.

"...A fuser, are we...?" He mumbled, and Mia gave a confused look,

"Master?" They faced one another,

"It's all right, Mia. Treat him as you would any of our other guests."

"Now then, the reason you're even here is because you are a very special kind of Persona user. You possess an ability I like to call the "Wild Card." That is to say, you can switch personas whenever the need arises…"

"Huh…" I said, looking at the book. "So, this is kinda like a dictionary for different personas…to what end?"  
"That," Igor pointed to the book. "Is known as the Compendium. Think of it as a…catalog of sorts. Let's say you happen to find a persona out in the field, and you come back here. That Persona is now recorded in the Compendium. Now, let's say you use that Persona for some purpose, to fuse or something similar. For a price, you can buy back the persona you used in the fusion."

"Now, I don't mean to sound strange, but, um, what's fusion?" Igor gave another smile, and pulled two cards from nowhere with Personas on them,

"Fusion, my boy, is when someone like you uses their power to morph two compatible Personas together, thus creating a new one. Hence the term, 'Fusion.'"

"Huh, that's actually really useful. Thanks, Igor." Igor nodded.

"Now, one last thing." He handed me a blue key. "That is important. Don't lose it. We wouldn't want you to not be able to come here, would we? Hmhmhm… Well, time for you to go. You will see us again soon, I am sure…" Then, everything went black.


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3**

My eyes fluttered open, and I looked around the bare, white hospital room I was in, before noticing Ami sleeping on my chest. I smiled, and ran a finger through her pretty caramel locks, which got her attention.

"Mmm?" She 'said' looking at me in a daze. Her eyes grew wide, and she jumped on me. "You're awake!"

"Agh, yes, I AM awake, so would you stop trying to choke me to death?" I said with laughter. She got up off of me, and said,

"Do you know how worried Aunt Kay and I were about you, you idiot?" I laughed at that,

"Sorry to give you such concern. How long was I out?" She sat in a chair near the door and answered,

"A little over a week, ten days, to be specific. It hasn't been easy on Aunt Kay, what with work already kinda being a hassle…"

"I see… When do I start school?" I asked, changing the subject.

"Whenever you're ready, I presume. Hopefully, the day after you get out." She handed me a slip of paper with an address and a room number. "That would be our dorm address, and your dorm room. They just built it, so it's just the two of us in there for now. Be nice to the nurses, okay? I'll see you tomorrow!" Ami said before leaving.

I was let out a few days later, so I decided to go to our dorm. As I approached, however, a blue door down a bleak-looking alleyway caught my eyes. Curious, I tried to open the door, only to find it locked. It hit me suddenly that this might be a way to get to the Velvet Room. I pulled out the Velvet Key, which shined with an unnatural light. Sliding it into the lock, I heard a '_Click!'_ and the door slid open. I entered onto the familiar plane, and sat down before Igor.

"Hello again, Jameson," he said with that signature grin, "It's a pleasure to see you again..."

Igor and I spoke for the next few minutes, discussing Persona Fusion, how to find Personas, and Social Links.

"Social Links are the most important things you will have learned today. They are what fuel the power of your Personas, and what tie you to this world. You will know when one has been born, I am sure. Now then, it is time for you to head back to your world..." I nodded, and exited the Velvet Room, and headed to the dorm, a large brick building with five floors (including the lobby and roof) and a very, how shall I put this, empty feel to it. Ami greeted me out front, and we got all my things into my room. By the time we were done, I was absolutely beat, so I just went to bed.

The next morning was when things started to get a bit better. I was walking to the marble building that was Lapillus High School with Ami, when suddenly…

"Oh, shit shit shit shit!" A voice behind me yelled, and as I turned to see who it was, someone ran into me, and we both fell over. I laid sprawled out on the ground, staring at the sky while my sides got sore. I sighed, thinking,

'_Are you kidding me? Not even a day in and we're already starting this crap?' _I heard Ami yell,

"Oh, dammit Leon! What is it with you and those stupid motorskates of yours?!"

"Hey, I am telling you Ami," said a guy's voice which must have been around my age, "these things work, you just have to give me time to iron out the kinks!"

"And that involves running into my cousin?!" she shouted back.

"Enough!" I said while sitting up, "You're both giving me a headache and it isn't even past noon!" The guy, an Asian, helped me up.

"Hey, uh, sorry about that, man."

"It's fine," I replied, "just be careful next time. I'm Jay."

"Leon! Nice to meet you, Jay!" We shook hands, and the edges of my vision went blue for a split second, but I ignored it.

"Leon's been our neighbor since I was born, and he's also the resident tech-geek. If anything stops working, go to him." Ami said, still facepalming. I nodded, and we all headed to first period, where I was met by the sight of what was possibly the most intimidating man you've ever seen. I swear, this guy could have qualified for one of those people you see portraying a serial killer on some cop show. He made me stand in front of the class (along with a shy looking blonde girl), and said,

"All right, now normally, I'd try and keep from not giving you guys your morning packets of work, but I gotta introduce some new people from the city who are probably bitching because their parents…" he went on and on for the next two minutes, before I finally said,

"Okay, okay, we get it; you don't like anyone at all. I'm just here to learn, all right? So could you refrain from ranting until we at least get seated?" The class had a good few chuckles at this, to which the man roared,

"QUIET! Now, you think you're hot stuff, huh?!" He got right in my face, and I just replied,

"Look, old man, I just got out of the hospital after protecting my cousin, so unless you've got an apology for being an ass, please give me my seat." He fumed for a minute, then said while gritting his teeth,

"Very back, second from the left." I took my seat, which was, conveniently, next to Ami, who sat behind Leon. The guy in front of me turned to face me, and said,

"You've got some balls, talking to Mr. Asini like that." I shrugged,

"Why should I care who he is? He's an ass to me; I'll be an ass to him."

"…Fair enough." I noticed that Mr. Asini was making rude comments about the blonde's appearance; her sundress was torn at the hem in several places, and she had a scar on the left side of her lip.

"Wow, I guess the boys were real rough with you, huh?" He said with a chuckle, which made my eye twitch. I twirled my pen in my hand to try and relieve the stress, but he kept pushing, "and what about that scar? One too many hickies, huh?" I gripped my desk tightly in an attempt to keep myself from punching the hell out of this schmuck. The girl turned away, tears in her eyes. "Well?" Said Asini, "Why don't you tell the class what it felt like? Come on, don't be shy! It's nothing to be ashamed of, right?" I saw her look at all of us, yet no one aided her…And then she caught my gaze. I saw that she was reliving memories of what had happened a few nights before. Then it hit me; the dress wasn't torn by hands, it was torn by lion's paws in an attempt to grab its prey. Just as Mr. Asini was preparing to embarrass the girl even more, I shot out of my seat, and my pen snapped clean in half. Asini looked at me, "Yeah, and what do you want now? Can't you see I'm in the middle of something?" My rage began to boil in my stomach, and Ami must have seen it, because she grabbed my arm and gently pulled, but I did not move for her. I walked up to Asini until he was pressing himself against the wall.

"There are a few things that go without saying in social existence, and treating women with respect is one of them. So, one more word about her or her social tendencies and you're going to end this conversation with several less teeth. Also, if you even think about calling the cops on me, I'm going to sue for harassment. Now we don't want that, do we?" He growled, but took the bait. He gave the girl her seat, which was, thankfully, right next to mine, and proceeded to give an hour-and-a-half lecture. In the middle of class, the girl slipped me a piece of paper that said,

'_I can't thank you enough for that. My name's Riza, and you are?'_ There was a small drawing in the corner, which I assumed was some sort of special signature. The edges of my vision went blue once again, indicating another Persona had come to me. I smiled, and wrote back, '_I'm Jay. I wish we could have met under better conditions, Miss Riza. I noticed your dress. Been hunted by Lion Goat Crocodile Snake crossbreeds as of late?' _She read it, scribbled something, and then handed it back to me. '_So you did notice… I wasn't sure if it was you in the minivan who killed it. Before you and your family ran it over, it was chasing me, yes. I thank you for saving me, by the way. I didn't know you had a…Friend.' _So she knew about Personas, too. From the way she worded it, though, it seemed like she only had one Persona, so I decided to avoid the Wild Card subject, and I instead wrote, '_I only discovered mine that night, facing the Chimera. They're called Personas. And you're quite welcome for the rescue.' _The bell to leave for second period rang, so I quickly scribbled, '_I'll try to see if I can have you moved to my dorm, since there's only my sister and I in there.' _I handed the note to her, and left after seeing her give me a thumbs up.


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4**

After school, I was Ami and Leon staring at the guy who had said I "Had balls" during first period. He was surrounded by a group of squeeing girls who I could only describe as fangirls of some variation.

"Hey," I said to them, "what's up?" Leon said to me,

"That's Hayder Armstrong. His family is wealthy beyond belief, I'm talking multi-billionaires." I stared at the dark-haired animal of a man. His muscles were unnaturally large for someone in his fourth year of high school, and scarring lined his skin wherever you looked, though there was one that stuck out like a sore thumb; above his left eye was a scar that had the appearance of a...crack, as in a crack in a wall, almost. I whistled, and asked Leon,

"What's with the huge muscles and scars? What the hell does this guy do for a living?" Leon's jaw practically hit the floor,

"You haven't heard?!"  
"Leon, I got here not even a month ago."  
"Oh, right, I keep forgetting that. Anyway, when Hayder was five, his elder brother tried to kill him with a knife. Ever since, Hayder has had a thing with picking fights with those who are bigger and stronger than he is. The scary part is, he wins every fight he steps into. It's a huge controversy around school..." My mind wandered on how terrible that must be, having those scars up and down your body. But, I suddenly remembered Riza, and I promptly approached Ami to ask her about it.

"Ami, I have to talk to you about transferring a student into our dorm. Would that be okay?"

"Hm? Oh, uh, I suppose so. What's their name?"  
"Riza. The girl next to me in first period?"

"Ohhhh her, okay. Sure, I'll see what I can do!" Hayder approached us, and said,

"Hey, Ami, there's a new shipment coming in at the police station, meet me there later." Suddenly, blue light circled the edges of my vision, and I quickly figured out this meant a social link had been born.

"Ehhh?! Why would you say that, especially in front of these two?!" Ami replied.

"What, don't they know? Even if they don't, Shina says that they have the potential." Leon and I looked on curiously. Ami sighed,

"Yes, Jay has one. But even then, you can't just go around saying that!" Hayder shrugged, and replied,

"It matters not. Police station later, all right?"

"Yes, yes, fine." Hayder left, and I promptly asked Ami,

"Ami, what was he talking about?"

"You know that sword I threw you while you fought that creature? Well, we get them from the police station." I was about to say something about stealing from cops, but the image of the Chimera nearly ripping me in half flashed into my mind, reminding me that these were not by any means normal enemies, and combating them in any way was a good thing.

"Wait wait wait, are you guys, like, part of some super-secret agent service thing?" Leon asked. Ami and I both facepalmed, and she replied,

"No, Leon, we are NOT part of a 'super-secret agent service thing,' we're just the ones trying to combat all the monsters that come out after midnight." I suddenly realized something,

"Do those things even have a name?" I asked. Ami shrugged, replying that,

"I have no idea, but Hayder, another girl named Shina, and I call them Shadows, if that helps…"

"Wait, how many people have personas?" She raised an eyebrow at me using the term.

"I thought you said I knew nothing about them."

_ 'Ah, shit.' _I thought to myself.

"W-well," I stuttered, "it's complicated…" she folded her arms.

"Jay, this is me you're talking to. Try me." I took a deep breath, and explained the Velvet Room to them. Ami thought for a moment, and then she said,

"…Actually, this hasn't been, how do I put this, unheard of."

"What?"

"This Igor character," she said quietly, "has…intervened…with those like you, who were important, and had the Wild Card ability. Maybe I shouldn't be surprised to hear of his involvement." I shrugged,

"It doesn't really matter. I mean, he's here to help, so..." Out of my peripheral vision, I saw Riza walking to the school's front gate, wearing a black trench-coat. I called out to her, and when she saw me, her face immediately brightened. She waved, and shyly walked over.

"…Hi there…" Ami turned to her, and smiled.

"Oh, hey there! I don't think we've been properly introduced. I'm Ami," she motioned to Leon, "this is Leon…" and she looked at me, "and this is-" Riza interrupted her,

"Jay, as I recall. We've already met…" She declared, half-proudly and half-shy, "You two were there when he defended me from Asini, right?" They both nodded. Riza turned to me, and said:

"Hey, you…You really don't mind if I stay in your dorm building?" I smiled at her warmly,

"Not at all, that's why I asked you, silly. We should have you transferred in…?" I looked at Ami for an estimate.

"About three days, no more I imagine." Suddenly, Ami's phone buzzed, indicating she had a text. She looked, and then said to us, "Okay, change of plans, we're meeting Hayder and another friend, Shina, at the dorm. All of us. Follow me." Ami said, leading us all back to the dorm…


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER 5**

The dorm was a large, seven story brick building that looked as if it was more than a little worn. The lobby wasn't much more furnished. The floor was carpeted, and there were two wooden tables directly in front of us. To our left was a plain kitchen with a bar. As Leon, Riza, Ami and I entered the dorm lobby, inside was Hayder and a girl who I assumed was Shina sitting at one of the wooden tables.

"Hello," she said, "Please sit down, we have much to discuss…"

We all took seats opposite of Hayder and Shina as they started to explain.

"We know all of you know about the existence of Shadows…" Said Hayder, "But what we don't know is if you all have ever interacted with other beings who have aided you in fending off Shadows..."

"You mean Personas?" Blurted out Riza, and Shina immediately focused in on her like a hawk.

"How do you know that name?" she said.

"Um..uh…I…" Riza stuttered.

"I told her. I learned it when…" and so, I explained everything about Igor and the Velvet Room again. Shina, afterward, said,

"Well, I suppose we're very lucky to have someone like you on the team, hmm?" She said in a flirtatious manner. Before I could say anything, Riza barked out,

"What's it to you? And what team?" Shina smiled coldly. Hayder suddenly interjected to prevent this from getting worse,

"There's nothing official, yet, but we're hoping to get a team for hunting down Shadows. Now, as far as that goes, we know that the Shadows have taken up residence in several old, abandoned buildings, and in them, they've built nests where they pour out at midnight." Hayder laid out a map of Lapillus and said, "Where those nests are, however, we've been unable to determine…" Suddenly, it was like something clicked in my head,

"There wouldn't happen to be Shadows whose job is simply to guard the nest, would there?" I asked. Hayder blinked, but instead Shina answered in a sultry tone,

"Of course there is. It's called a Chimera, why? You encounter one?" Riza quickly followed,

"Yes, actually, he saved **me **from one just the other night." Shina's eyes twitched. Hayder simply ignored it, and continued the conversation.

"Hmm…Jay, I don't suppose you remember where this was?" I marked down the location on the map. "Not bad, that's where Shina's been detecting Shadow energy a lot recently. I guess we found our first nest, then. We'll make a few preparations, and then we'll pay the shadows a visit. In the meantime, I suggest we get going, eh Shina?" Shina's gaze was still locked on Riza as she stood up and stomped out. Hayder said to me, "Oh, and here. This is for you." He tossed me an English-style Rapier, followed Shina, and Leon also stepped out. Suddenly, a yell was heard from outside. We all rushed out, only to see several black, liquid creatures rapidly approaching the Dorm entrance, which wasn't easy since only the half-moon lit the otherwise pitch-black street.

"Damn! We're too late…" sword Hayder, who backed up with Shina. Suddenly, Leon grabbed his head out of nowhere, and shouted in pain. We all looked at him, but he yelled out to the sky,

"PERSONA!" Suddenly, before our eyes, a being with a mighty hammer appeared from nowhere. He held the hammer aloft, and a bolt of lightning smited the Shadows, who screeched in pain. My body seemed to move entirely on its own, rushing with Ami to the front lines, and engaging the Shadows. My vision flashed blue as I yelled, "Vedrfolnir!" And on my command, Vedrfolnir appeared, and unleashed a ball of fire on one of the shadows. Ami darted forward, shouting, "Pandora!" A green, butterfly woman appeared before her, and combated the Shadows. Leon called out,

"THOR!" His persona appeared again, smiting a shadow that had attempted to attack me. As I realized Leon's target, I suddenly became very aware that a Persona did not guarantee invulnerability, and that these were still hellish beasts bent on murdering us if we let them. With that in mind, my senses of hearing and sight shot up like rockets as I spotted a black puddle out of my peripheral vision. Without thinking, I rolled out of the way as the liquid fired itself toward me. It missed, and landed where I was before forming itself into a white-robed being with a white, hollow-eyed mask, carrying a scythe and a lantern (which was how I was able to see it to start). Hayder growled.

"Damn! Reavers! They're the hunters of the Shadow army! They're mostly blind except under certain light, so whatever you do, stay out of the lantern's light! You do **not **want to be on the receiving end of that Scythe! And don't use fire! That gives away your position as well!" I scowled,

"Hate to say this, but my Persona's only ranged attack is fire!" Hayder stared in disbelief. "What?! Yes, my Persona is not overpowered! You have a Persona, don't you?!" He sighed, and then closed his eyes.

"Poseidon!" He shouted. A being with a large, white beard, wearing blue armor, and carrying a trident emerged, and pointed the trident upwards. I heard crackling for a quick moment, and then a set of ice spires impaled the Reaver. "It's not dead, just stunned! Now, your turn! Hit it with everything you have!" Hayder seemed reluctant to use his Persona, for some reason… Regardless, my vision went blue as I prepared to call Nidhug, then it suddenly turned a bright purple, and I shouted in instinct,

"Zio!" A bolt of lightning suddenly came out of nowhere, striking the Reaver, which flew off the exploding ice and reeled in pain. I looked over, and saw Ami. At the same time, she had just finished off a shadow that was a collection of dark hands holding a mask, and she met my gaze. We both looked at the Reaver, then back at one another. I nodded and motioned to call my Persona. I felt her energy send my Persona's own energy into overdrive, and I turned my gaze to the now standing Reaver as its lantern shined down on me. As it raised its scythe, what would have been true and utter Fear turned to pure, unrelenting rage at this beast for daring to cross me. I threw my unarmed fist in the air, and Pandora circled with Vedrfolnir downward toward the Reaver, spinning faster and faster until they seemed to be a meteor that could cause a city-wide explosion, if necessary. Then, I snapped my fingers as a rush pulsed through my blood, and an evil smile crossed my face. Vedrfolnir screeched, and let out a stream of flame that surrounded the duo. They rushed faster and faster until they met the Reaver, which screamed out in pain at the overkill of an attack. A wave of exhaustion washed over me, and I fell to my knees. Leon, Shina and Ami were able to finish off the remaining shadows while Hayder and Riza helped me get inside the dorm. I asked Hayder,

"What in God's name was that?" He smiled,

"Certain powerful Persona-users are able to be, how to put it, conduits for a combined attack between their Persona and another person's Persona. Wild Cards are particularly adept at this, I'm told, and have been known to not need a partner to perform these attacks or spells, which are called Fusion Attacks. In any case, I find it strange that a Reaver of all Shadows appeared today. They normally go after people who have the potential to become Persona users, but not those who have already become Persona users. This is quite…disturbing."

"Well," I replied, "You've got the most resources between all of us, right? So, if anyone can figure it out, it's you." He nodded in agreement, before leaving with Shina and Leon.

I have to be honest; I wasn't able to sleep that night. For some reason, I lingered in the limbo between sleep and being so tired that you want to sleep, so I decided to take out my laptop that I had brought with me, and get on the internet just for the hell of it.

"My my, that laptop's pretty nice, hmm?" I stood and whirled around in the span of about a second to find a girl, no older than thirteen, sliding her hand along my dresser on the other side of the room. She was wearing an orange outfit, not dissimilar to that of a convict. She had a scar over the right side of her lip, and her hair was cut short.

"…Okay, first off, that grin is goddamn creepy, and secondly, who are you, and why are you in my room." Her face scrunched up a bit, as if she was upset.

"I am not creepy!"  
"I didn't say you were. I said your **grin** was creepy. Now, answer the question, please." She thought for a moment,

"My name is Kamas, and I'm here to give you a warning about the Shadows…" Now I got interested.

"I see. Well then, please, feel free to issue."

"Gladly," she said in a sarcastic tone, "in a few weeks, there is going to be a full moon, and Shadows grow with the Blood Moon's gleam. So I suggest you try and prepare yourself."

"In what fashion?"

"You know about the nests, that question should be easy enough to answer. And if it isn't, then you shouldn't be opposing the Shadows to begin with." Before I got a chance to say anything, Kamas faded into the darkness. Something about how she said that last part bothered me to the point of concluding that Kamas should be handled respectfully yet cautiously. But, maybe I was overthinking it. After all, she was just a strange little girl, right?

_**Right?**_


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER 6**

The following school day held a swirl of strange and near-mythical rumors involving just a few things: A mysterious dark beast, a group being attacked, and one of the students at our school calling on an ancient power to defeat this dark beast.

Ami and I met Riza, Hayder, and Leon at the front gates. Almost immediately, Hayder sighed, and said,

"I apologize for the rumors. Someone I know happened to leak the info. Luckily, I put a cap on it before our names got leaked. However, I suggest all of you try and not say anything if the teachers get things wrong about the story," he looked directly at me, "especially with Asini. You know how he is."

And, of course, when we finally got all settled in class,

"All right, All right! Siddown, all'ya." Muttered Asini as he stomped into the classroom. "Now, I know you kids still think crap like this 'boy and ten foot bird kill dark being in street' is real, but try and actually stop having an imagination for once in your goddamn lives. It really helps." Already, Asini had started to piss me off. I tried to ignore him, until this happened,

"And even if there **was** someone out there who did it, he probably did it just to save his own sorry hide." I rose from my seat, and said,

"No, he didn't. But you wouldn't understand that, would you, you coward?!" The entire class looked at me (I could practically feel the heat from Hayder's eyes), and Asini turned to me in fury.

"What, did, you, just, call me?" He was shaking, which made me smile. This was good, I wanted to taunt him, and I **wanted **to have his anger to work with.

"A coward, a scared little **rat**, a person with only concern for himself! Isn't that what you actually are? You claim to call others selfish and lust-filled, but isn't that truly because **you're** the coward here, and not…" I hesitated, for I had to at least make myself seem like I wasn't involved, "Not Vindex." Hayder audibly sighed in relief, though he wasn't heard over the gossiping students. Asini's face contorted with clear rage.

"So you know him?"  
"I do."

"Well, what makes him so great, huh?! What grants **him** the authority to have such power?!" He shoved everything across his desk. "And what makes the rest of you think its okay to worship someone like him?! You should be worshiping those who help you little shits all day like us, the teachers!"

"The teachers, or just you?!" I spat back in equal anger, "So it isn't just your cowardice, but your jealousy that while you sit on your ass, too scared to face the darkness, people like Vindex get our praise? You're sad, pathetic, a poor, hypocritical excuse of a Human being. You overwork students without end, and you'd kill our hopes in moments! But that's why someone like you will **never** have the powers that Vindex does! Now, if you'll excuse me, I've had enough of your bullshit!" I turned back to the class, "If you guys want to follow this moron, be my guest, but I am not following him off a cliff!" I started to walk out, and I was joined by Ami, Leon, Riza, Hayder, and before I knew it, the rest of the class had joined us.

Later that night, as we prepared to breach the Nest, Hayder said to me,

"While I'm unsure how to really react to your little…" he thought for a quick moment, "Rant in the classroom, I do appreciate the discretion. But, I do have a question."  
"What's that?" I asked while putting on some chain mail underneath my normal outfit.

"What does 'Vindex' mean?" I smiled at the question,

"Vindex is a Latin term. It literally translates to 'Champion.'" Hayder smirked as he attached a gun to his left hip,

"Fitting, I suppose." I shrugged,

"Yeah, it works."

The team and I proceeded to the nesting grounds. In the day, it was just a park a mile away from the airport. But here, in the dead of night…

It was a dark, dark hole, half a football field in all-around diameter. We could see Chimera in the distance, though they were a long ways away.

"We'd better get down there." Said Hayder, concern clear in his voice.

"Y-you guys…Can go on…" Riza grabbed her head, and I rushed to her immediately.

"Hey, you all right?" She looked up at me.

"Y-yeah, I think I'm okay…Something about this place is just…Getting in my head…"

"You going to be okay going down there?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine. Come on, before the Chimera see us." Despite her assurances, I didn't really believe her. Some part of me knew…

We jumped down without any idea of how we'd get back up, but luckily, it seemed that, in order to get out, the Shadows needed a ladder-like device, so we just decided to use that.  
"Okay," Hayder handed us all earpieces, "since there's going to be multiple passageways, I suggest we split up. Shina and I will take the North hall, Ami, Leon, you two have the one to the left, and Riza and Jay, take the right hall. Use these to keep in touch. You'll hear a beep in thirty minutes. When that happens, you're all to head back here. Got it?" We all nodded. "Good." Hayder put on a face-mask, and headed down a dark tunnel.

As far as the rest of us could tell, the ground was made of checkered tiles, black and white alternating, and the walls were bloodied, but white stone could be seen beneath. My breath hitched in my throat as I truly realized the murderous intent of these creatures. They didn't just want to kill us, they wanted to tear out our organs and smear the walls with our still warm blood.

Riza's soft hand on my shoulder brought me back to the reality of things.  
"Come on," she said before pointing down a rather bleak-looking hall, "That one's for us."

"Well," I said, "Here's to stupidity."

Riza and I proceeded down the hall, watching carefully for any shadows at all. The first we spotted tried to ambush us behind a right corner. It was a floating orb with giant lips and a huge tongue. It made me jump, but didn't surprise me nearly as much as Riza's reaction. She screamed, grabbing her head and shutting her eyes. Out of nowhere, her Persona appeared. It was a blank-faced doll in a white dress. It carried a giant Scythe, and spun it around, unleashing a tornado on the creatures. She collapsed, but I caught her.

"Your persona…That's not normal…" I said to her with fright. She smiled, and said,

"I know. It's why I was hesitant about coming down. My Persona…Guardian…She cannot be controlled. She comes at random. It's like she's an entirely different being…"  
"What? How is that even…?"  
"It'll all become clear soon enough."  
"Okay, well, just try to stay out of combat unless you have no choice." I said, caring only about her safety at that moment. I spotted a giant black serpent with a pink female gender symbol around its neck rushing toward us. I drew my sword. Since it was a snake, I switched Personas to Forneus, a Persona I had recently obtained that had an ice technique, Bufu. I called out Forneus, and tested the new move on the reptile before me. The creature shriveled in pain, and it was instantly encased in ice, which then exploded. The Snake was sent reeling, and I rushed at it, slashing it with my blade to finish things off.

After several more rounds of combat with different types of shadows, I heard a beeping in my ear. I looked at Riza, and she nodded. We both started to head back to the rendezvous point when Leon's voice sounded from the earpiece.

"T-this is Leon! Ami and I are tied up with a pretty large Shadow."

"Need any help?" I heard Hayder reply.

"It would certainly be nice!" yelled Leon. Riza and I broke into a run back down the corridor, eventually reaching the starting area. We continued our sprint down the hall opposite ours, and we eventually found Hayder, Shina, Leon, and Ami all up against a giant bee-like shadow. Riza tried to stay on the outskirts of the fray, but I jumped right in. Taking a moment to examine my allies, I saw that all of them were worn down pretty far. I fiercely assaulted the giant insect, which was no pushover. It had huge, sword-like claws, a stinger that fired liquid metal, large fangs, and keen eyesight. Going between dodging the claws, stinger, and fangs and attacking as well quickly drained what energy I had left. Soon, like the others, the Queen Bee just kept beating the hell out of me. Finally, when I seemed like I was going to die, I heard Riza scream, and I saw Guardian appear and cut the Queen Bee clean in half. Riza ran to me, saying frantically,

"Come on, please work…" I saw a green light above me, and I felt a surge of energy in me. I stood quickly to make sure the Queen Bee was dead.

"Please, don't ever do that again…" Riza whispered with a sigh. I looked back at her to see Guardian standing behind her, seemingly staring at me. Riza was sitting with her legs beside. The others got up too, but I didn't notice. Guardian, the white-haired doll with the scythe, and her Master, held my full attention. "I had to call her out. When I said she comes of her own will, I wasn't lying, but I wasn't exactly honest either. Like many of my emotions, she appears when I appear to be in either danger or true pain. Either way, she destroys anything in her path, and it's exceedingly difficult for me to direct that rage at something, unless I have a clear distinction of friend and foe. So, I ask you, for your own safety…" She closed her eyes, and Guardian disappeared into the darkness, "Don't force me to call her out if you don't have to." I helped her up, and looked her in the eyes. She looked so afraid, so vulnerable, and yet her Persona seemed absolute and beyond powerful. She was panting, a clear sign of the effort it took to even call Guardian out. She tried to run from the Chimera, not because she was unsure that Guardian could kill it, but because she wasn't sure if Guardian would go haywire and destroy everything…

I felt her hands…They were small compared to mine, that was to be expected, but they were scarred, calloused. She carried the signs of having wielded weapons all her life…Her arms, despite at first looking skinny and bony, actually carried muscles that indicated that whatever she had worked with was heavy enough to stagger a normal person. Her body, now donning a black skin-suit, showed off many of her curves. The body of an experienced athlete…

Finally, my gaze set on her face. I already mentioned the platinum blonde hair and the unique scar on her left side of her lips, but upon closer exam, her entire face was decorated with old, well-healed scars that were nearly invisible to anyone but those intimate with her. Her eyes were haunting, a light green-gray color, and they peered into your very being. But it was that haunting feeling that made her so special. She was quiet, she was perceptive, she was kind, she was joyous, she was full of remorse, she was our lifeline, but above everything she possibly was to the others… She was the girl I could only describe as Riza, and for me, that was enough. We shut our eyes, and went to embrace one another...

"Hey! Are you guys leaving with us or what?!" Shouted Leon, making us pull away from one another, and join the rest of the group.

Did I mention how much I utterly hate Leon, sometimes?


	7. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER 7**

The next few weeks consisted of being with Riza, who had truly begun to open up after moving in with Ami and I, going to the Velvet Room to make Personas and register new ones in the Compendium. Then, came the night hours, when we let off steam by hunting down Shadows in the nests we could find. And boy, was it hella fun. When all of us were in, Riza even let off stress and decided to pitch in combat. And it was like she had a normal, albeit strong as hell, Persona. Guardian came and went naturally, without any cost to Riza. It was similar to watching a flower bloom in a garden you created, beautiful and gratifying.

It was the eighteenth of October, and Halloween was coming up. Tonight was a night of the full moon, like Kamas had warned me. So when I remembered that, I of course brought it up in conversation in the dorm lobby.

"Hey guys, remember how we're supposed to go after the nest again tonight?" I asked nervously. Riza looked very somber all of a sudden, as if she knew what I was going to bring up.

"Yeah, what about it?" asked Leon nonchalantly.

"Well, I got a tip that that may not be the way to go…" The others except Riza looked at me with concern. "Tonight's a full moon. And according to some friends of mine, Shadows get stronger with the moon…" Ami made a thinking face.

"Come to think of it, they have been ramping it up a bit, haven't they?"  
"You have trustworthy allies, my friend, though there is one thing." Said Hayder seriously, "If the Shadows really are going to be at their best tonight, then the one time we SHOULD be down in the nests is tonight. What makes you claim otherwise?"

"The Bosses." Interjected Riza suddenly. Everyone looked at her, and she began to explain, "Boss Shadows are the toughest of the toughest. Normally, they only appear when the moon is full in replacement of the Shadows that normally crawl out of the nests."

"Hmm, intriguing, well, I suppose we should get ready then." Said Shina, standing. Hayder nodded in agreement, and everyone headed to their rooms to prepare for the boss.

That night, tensions were overcharged as we patrolled the city, only to find that all shadows were gone. It looked like Riza had been completely right, which, in this case, wasn't exactly good. All was quiet, when suddenly…

"Everyone, to the radio tower, now!" I heard Hayder announce with panic. I bolted as fast as my body would allow to the tower. And there, coiled around the metal spire, was a huge metallic beast. I'd call it a halfway mix between the serpent I faced on the first day in the nest and a dragon, but that wouldn't exactly do it. The top half of its skull was bone white, its eyes were blood red, and all along its body were parts that were also bone white, like armor. It saw us, and let out a bone chilling scream before leaping down at me and letting an orb of fire spiral toward me. Just as I was about to do something, Pandora, Ami's persona, joined by Guardian, knocked away the fireball.

"Thanks!" I shouted to both girls, who nodded.

The Draconian Serpent burrowed underground and chased us down with bursts of flame, which we were forced to narrowly avoid. Our Personas made it so we didn't really have to damage the beast directly, but they still did little-to-nothing, even Guardian. After several assaults from the Draconian Serpent, we were split up, and forced to go to the rooftops of several adjacent buildings. The Draconian Serpent coiled around the Radio tower again, but this time, it was to take shots at us.  
"Dammit, somebody put that thing out of commission! Let's keep the snake on the ground!" I shouted into the earpiece while Riza got onto the same roof as me.  
"I've got it covered," replied Hayder. Suddenly, I saw Hayder summon Poseidon and use his ice attack on the tower, destroying it, and sending the beast plummeting. The Draconian Serpent hissed at us.

"Gahhh, this is getting us nowhere! We have to use a fusion attack on the thing!" Shouted Shina over the earpiece.

"I'll do it! Mine and Jay's are the strongest! We have the best chance of punching a hole through that armor!" Riza replied.

"Okay, everyone, get back down and come together. Distract it!" I shouted. Everyone got off their rooftops, but Riza and I stayed on the edges of combat while the others ran next to one another, distracting the creature. The Draconian Serpent chased them furiously, not paying attention to Riza and I. We held hands, and raised them up as the sky darkened. Nidhug and Guardian appeared behind us, and prepared to face the giant foe that opposed us. Nidhug breathed fire onto Guardian's scythe, and flew up, high above the Draconian Serpent, and fired down at it. Guardian leaped into the air, and caught the flames with her scythe, which glowed a brilliant orange, before bringing the scythe down directly into the top of the Draconian Serpent's skull with a loud '_CRUNCH!'_, and Riza and I watched as the Draconian Serpent desperately tried to resist the hot steel being pressed into its head. In a particularly powerful swing of the Serpent's head upwards, Guardian used the momentum to rise high into the air, and came back down, this time bringing the Scythe down in the Serpent's neck. Guardian disappeared, and Riza had a wicked smile on her face. The Draconian Serpent spotted us and, in a rage, tried to breathe a fireball at us. At first, I got ready to turn tail and cheese it, but Riza grabbed my hand and said,

"Wait, just watch what happens." As if on cue, an explosion was seen right behind the Draconian Serpent's face, and the scythe flew through the air, returning to its owner. Upon further exam, I realized that the explosion had somehow caused the Serpent's head to snap clean off. I whistled, saying,

"Riza, how the hell did you do that?" She giggled, almost in a creepy (yet cute) way,

"It's actually simple. There are two chemicals the Draconian Serpent uses to secrete fire: its saliva, so it never runs out of fuel, and the ignition gland in the back of the throat. When it fires a fireball, it spits a glob of saliva at us, but to get it as actual fire, it needs to go past the ignition gland. But if we position the Scythe just so it blocks the fireball, then it has nowhere to go but up through the hole that the scythe made…"

"Thus stretching the hole until the force of the explosive fireball decapitates the beast." I finished for her. She laughed,

"Well, don't look scared of me, Jay. I'll only kill you if you get me mad!" she said with an innocent smile that made me question whether she actually meant it. She, of course, followed that with, "That was a joke." And I just chuckled lightly in response to the culmination of both a morbid joke, and my lovely friend's maniacal genius.

Late that night, when I was in my room, Kamas appeared behind me.

"Hi again," she said calmly, "I see you survived."

"Not that it was easy, but yes." I said. "Thank you for warning me, Kamas." She shrugged,

"Whatever, I'll see you a week before the Full Moon's here again to remind you." She disappeared into the darkness, leaving me to my lonesome once again.

The next ten or so days were quite enjoyable. For one thing, it was spring break, so everyone got a vacation from both school and Shadow Hunting. Just before leaving, Ami and Leon decided to call everyone to the lobby. When Riza and I got there, Ami and Leon were talking to Hayder and Shina. Ami saw us, and waved. We headed over, and Shina greeted us with,

"Hey, if it isn't the two late-comers, thanks for showing." Hayder scolded her, then said to us,

"Sorry, we've had AP testing, and it's been particularly frustrating for Shina. It's over though, thankfully. Anyway, Ami, Leon, why'd you call us down?" Ami smiled and started to explain,

"About a week ago, Sir Leon the Clumsy over here pulled down one of the wall-lights here," she put her hand on one, "and it turned out to be an old passage to an underground sanctuary from civil war times. So, Leon and I got some pros to renovate it, and…" she pulled on the light, and a fake wall slid open, revealing a passageway that led to a rather spacious basement with wooden flooring and glass doors. We entered into some kind of conference room with a large, wooden table in the center with the letters 'N-E-S-T' engraved into the center of it. At one side was a gavel, and another at the other side. In addition, there was a larger room attached that was a full kitchen/bar with a dining area.

"…And we turned it into somewhere that we can have meetings and celebrations! Ladies and gents, we humbly present, the 'Nest!'" Ami finished, taking a bow. I have to admit, when I saw that hella awesome basement, my jaw hit the floor, as did the others', I imagine.

"Well, you've really outdone yourselves this time, you two…" Said Hayder, as he traced the lettering, "But why are there two gavels?"

"I can answer that," said Leon suddenly, "my idea was that, since we're a team, we shouldn't have one leader, but two."

"Clever thought," Hayder mumbled just within earshot.  
"So, who're the Leaders?" asked Shina eagerly.

"Hayder and Jay, easily." Replied Ami quickly.

"I'm honored," I admitted in response to the sudden responsibility of leadership. Hayder, on the other hand, just nodded.

"However, we'll have our first meeting after we all get back from vacation." Leon stated with a lighthearted laugh, and everyone agreed.

While the others took this time to go on vacations, get some extra work done, etc. etc., I instead took this time to nurture my friendship with Riza, which I had started to neglect while balancing both school and Shadow-Hunting. So, I was quite happy to get out and about with Riza. We went to shop the first day, looking through various clothes to see if anything caught our eyes. A personal favorite of Riza's was a black shirt that had the phrase "Venit mors ad omnes, sed aliis clementer agimus, deinde tuto, vita potest, quamdiu nobis auferet." Which roughly translates to, "Death comes to us all, but should we treat others kindly, then the guardian, Life, shall cling to us for as long as she can." And when I say roughly, I mean that it's about the closest you can get to the English phrase.

Anyway, we spent the following day at the movie theater, watching some romance she felt like seeing. But, to be honest, I was paying far, far more attention to Riza than I was the movie. She seemed, fidgety, though that's not precisely the correct word. Either way, she was restless throughout the entire movie.

After the movie ended, she asked me to stay with her in the theater for a quick second. She pulled me aside, and we shared our first deep kiss (with no Leon stopping us this time). It's a rather strange, albeit wonderful feeling. Our tongues fought for dominance, and I could barely see her blush in the theater lights while our hands joined one another. We pulled away when we were both out of breath, and her only words were,

"You have **no **idea how long I've been waiting to do that with you, and how nervous I got doing it." I laughed and said,

"I noticed, miss restless." She pouted at me,

"And you didn't even say anything?" I just smiled like the Cheshire cat and replied,

"Nope!" She sighed and groaned,

"Oh how the olden art of Chivalry dies upon your swift and clever tongue, young knight." That made us both laugh, and we set up a date for the following day.


	8. Chapter 8

**CHAPTER 8**

After spring break was over and everyone was back, not only did schoolwork come back with a vengeance, but so did the Shadow Hunting. We had found a particularly nasty nest that popped up near the northern outskirts of town that contained Shadows who focused on status ailments, something that had been a bit difficult for us to cover. After three consecutive attempts to get rid of most of the big Shadows there – and having failed in all three – we decided to, instead, simply keep a close eye on the nest, since it seemed to be one of the few that didn't spit any Shadows out at midnight. Thankfully, I had gotten some higher leveled Personas (Jack Frost, Archangel, Helel, Cu Chulainn, a warrior Persona called Vidaar, and Shiva. However, things in school didn't exactly go as well as planned. Within the first week back, everyone got mounds of work which seemed to follow us without relent. But then, on top of that…

It was quite the cold morning December in Lapillus. Snow had covered the ground in a soft, white blanket. I arrived at first period, like normal, with Riza. However, as we went to sit down, Leon approached me in a huge panic.

"Is Ami all right? She never showed up to meet me today, and she always does! I called her phone several times, but she never answered!" My blood suddenly ran cold. Ami had left the dorm before me, since I had gotten up a little later than usual.

"All students please return to the bus platform for an emergency evacuation. This is not a drill, I repeat, this is **not **a drill." Someone said over the loudspeaker, making my heart race in alarm. As if on cue, Two Police Officers called me out to follow them. Once they had pulled me aside, one of them asked me,

"Are you Ami Miller's cousin?" I replied,

"Yes, is she all right? What happened to her?" The Officer looked down,

"I'm afraid that one of the teachers, Kuroda Asini, has taken her hostage on the roof. And, he's requested to speak to you." My eyes widened, and my throat went dry.

"…What…?"

"I'm sorry, son." He said, but I shook my head, and re-phrased,

"What do you need me to do?"

The Officer pulled out a bulletproof vest, and an earpiece, and handed them both to me. "Put these on, and we'll walk you through the hostage negotiations, all right?" I nodded, determined to save my precious cousin.

Usually, when I'm walking somewhere, alone or with the others, there's some kind of music that follows me. But now, there was no music. Not when something like Ami's life was at stake.

I opened the door to the school roof. Asini had his arm around Ami's neck, with a gun to her temple. I could see the red lines on her face from her crying so much. I slowly walked to them, and Asini bared an evil grin.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the defiant little brat?! Not so tough now that I have your cousin, now are you?" I continued to step forward without a word, until a cracked, reddened version of the persona Masakado appeared, and pointed his blade at my face, but my gaze didn't move from Asini. So this little bastard had a Persona.

"Not another step closer, unless you want little miss Ami to have a bullet in her brain." He said in a hungry, hoarse voice. I showed no facial emotion, but inside, I felt disgusted.

"What do you want?" I asked flatly.

"Simple, boy. I want you to get on your knees, admit to me that I am a better Human being than you will ever be, and that you should worship me. Then, maybe, I'll spare you and your little shit of a cousin." He grinned, and I saw that Masakado no longer held the appearance of a Persona, but distinctly looked like a Shadow.

"No." I replied, my anger rising by the second. Asini was smiling, but quickly went to a confused and surprised look, and then he threw anger into the mix.

"What did you just say to me, you little –" he was cut off when Ami elbowed him in the stomach, then started to run away. But, as much as I wished it wasn't so, Ami wasn't faster than a bullet. Asini fired a shot from the pistol in his hand, and the world went quiet as I heard the bullet enter Ami's fragile body.

There were no words as I caught the now limp girl. She had been shot in the lower part of her spine, but she still cried out in pain. I heard the roof door open, and Leon came running over. I somewhat recall him saying that he'd get Ami to the hospital; I still had a score to settle with Asini. I didn't care about what he or anyone else would say during or after what I had planned. I sat there, on my knees for a moment…

"See?! I can kill all of you brats just like almost did to her! So, are you go—" I cut him off with a howl that marked my promise of vengeance, and then I slammed my fist into the cement roof, cracking it. I didn't notice how the world had gone monochrome, except for me, having gone completely red instead; nor did I notice the intense and demonic aura that I emanated. All I knew was,

'_THIS INSIGNIFICANT LITTLE ANT IS DEAD!'_

And now, the songs I had said had earlier gone silent were back again. (A/N: specifically, Red Like Roses Part II from RWBY starts to play) I ran at Asini, who fired the handgun he held five more times to try and get me away from him, but I just kept going. Masakado went to try and stop me, but Vedrfolnir emerged on instinct, and began to rip the shadow to shreds.

"You courted death, Asini, so I hope you're glad you found it!" I screamed as I tackled him to the ground. It's...It's a little hard to remember, but I do remember punching him over and over, and he threw me away from him, but I just growled and sprang back at him. We got into a brutal fight that left me with multiple cuts and bruises, but for every one cut or bruise he put on me, I got three in on him. I must have gotten a weapon at some point, because I remember having a knife, and stabbing Asini in the chest with it. I **do **remember, however, him backing against the edge of the roof, and begging,

"Please don't kill me, please don't kill me!" I just stared at him as the world slowly returned to its normal color scheme.

"If she dies, I am going to find you in your cell, wherever you are, and I will end your pathetic existence, for she is thrice the Human you are. So sleep with one eye open, fuckhead." I turned around and headed down the staircase as cops rushed up on the roof.

Hayder drove us to the hospital, and all of us were utterly silent as we waited for the doctors to come tell us if my baby cousin was going to be okay. After what seemed like an hour of Riza trying to reassure me, and me pacing, one of the doctors came out, looking down painfully.

"Jameson Grivuura?" The doctor asked, and I immediately stepped forward. "I'm sorry, but where the bullet hit…We did what we could, but the best we can hope for is that she'll wake up, and after that, she's going to be paralyzed from the waist down. Worst case scenario, she doesn't wake at all. I am so, so sorry." The others must have seen me trying to will myself not to cry, because I felt hands on my shoulders, and I heard comforting words being said to me.

"Thank you, doctor…" I whispered, and the doctor nodded somberly before returning to his work.

I somehow was able to keep myself from crying until we got back to the dorm. As soon as we stepped in, however, I instantly fell to my knees, and broke down. Riza and the others tried to comfort me, but to no avail. I just sat there and cried for what seemed like hours on end. Sure, I had Aunt Kay, but Ami was the closest thing to a sibling I had. First, my parents fell to some monster I couldn't see, and now, to be told she could die because I wasn't fast enough…

The only reason I slept that night was because Igor had summoned me to the Velvet Room.

"Welcome, Jameson. It hasn't exactly been too long since your last visit, but I wanted to go over some additional things, if you wouldn't mind?" I stood, and Igor raised an eyebrow.

"Forgive me, Igor, but one of the few purposes I had left in life may have just been killed, so I'd rather just…not. All right?" Igor thought for a moment, then said,

"Very well, child, my condolences…Come see us when you are ready. In the meantime, you have a visitor."

I was suddenly back in my bed, and someone was knocking on the door. I opened it to find Riza standing there in her PJs.

"Hey," she whispered, "Can I come in?" I nodded, and closed the door behind her.

"What's this about?" I asked shakily. Riza was one of the only ones who I could just show my emotions to without any worries.

"I was wondering if you'd like some comfort. Not…Sex, or anything like that, just…Someone to cling to. I thought it'd be a bright light in the recent events…" I understood what she meant, and agreed. So we both laid in my bed, holding onto one another carefully, as if any harsh touch would break us like glass. And, before my mind let me rest, I bawled harder than I had prior or afterwards. And that night, I had a terrible nightmare that led me to a realization; about my parents' death that I hadn't been able to remember clearly until that time, about why I had a Persona to begin with, and about why the Shadows seemed to follow me.

_My parents and I had just finished dinner, and it was late, around nine at night. Everything was as peaceful as could be. But, as I finished doing the dishes, I heard a strange, cracking noise. I walked into our living room, to ask my parents about the strange noise, but, when I got there, I saw my mother was behind my father, who was facing a woman in a black robe, carrying a huge scythe. She had pale skin, and even paler hair. My father shouted for me to run as fast as I could, and never look back for anything. Those were his last words, before the scythe went through his chest. As instructed, I bolted from the house, which exploded just as I escaped. Afterwards, they told me they found me sobbing and spouting crazy thoughts about gave me some memory suppressants, and sent me to live with my Aunt and Cousin, hoping that it'd all just go away. But I knew, during the recollection, that I wasn't crazy; something evil wanted me and my family dead because I had the power to stop it. From what, who knew at that point, but as I tried to remember the murderous being's face, all I got was a blurry picture. I guess I had to wait a little longer for that lock to come apart. _

I shot up, sweating heavily and panting. Riza was fast asleep beside me, so I decided to go back to sleep, or try to. But this Evil Being had just made a hell of a mistake. Asini didn't naturally have a Persona, something forced one onto him, and bent him to their will. But they failed, I was still alive, and you know what they say...

_'Payback's a bitch.'_


	9. Chapter 9

**CHAPTER 9**

The following morning, I decided it'd be best for me to take a few days off from school and spend some time with the other members of the team. I figured that, after one of our own had almost died, that some company might do them some good. Firstly, I went to check on Ami for about an hour. She had actually stabilized, her breathing was steady, but I decided to let her get some rest instead of trying to pester her when I knew full well that she wouldn't ever be "okay," by any means, but she was alive. With that in mind, I called Hayder, whose number I had gotten the day before Spring break when he and Shina had decided to move into the Dorm, since we were a team now.

"Hello?" His voice rang out.

"Hey, Hayder, it's Jay. I've decided to take a few days off from school. You mind if we meet up to talk for a while?"

"Sure thing, man," he said brightly, "how about Coarse?" 'Coarse' is the nickname for the in-and-out food joint that was two blocks west of the dorm. A lot of kids at the high school went there for breakfast and lunch, and since 'that-one-in-and-out-burger-joint-on-eighth-street' didn't exactly work, one of the kids called it 'Coarse,' after the harsh concrete that composed the building, and it stuck.

I left the hospital, which had become a rather dreary place, and hailed a cab. After paying the taxi driver, I got out, and stood before Coarse; it was a tall, concrete (as I already stated) building with a red roof and two entrances, one on the left, and one on the right. Inside, the door had a bell, like most restaurants, to signal a new customer coming in. The floor was checker-tiled, and the walls were white. I went in on the left entrance, so bear with me here. To my immediate right, there were four red tables with four chairs, two on my side, two on the other side, going up the middle of the restaurant. To my immediate left, on the other hand, were five booth seats that went along the left side of the building up to a wall, which had two doors on it (again, one on the left, one on the right) that had "EMPLOYEES ONLY" printed across them. I heard the bell on the door jingle, and I turned to see Hayder in his normal attire: Black, short-sleeved shirt, dark maroon shorts, and a leather jacket to add a finishing touch. He smiled at me, and said,

"Heya, Jay. Come on, let's grab a booth. What do you want to eat?" We sat in the second booth from the entrance, and I answered,

"Just a burger's fine, thanks."

"Got it," He went up and placed our order before returning to his seat, "So, you said you wanted to talk?"

"Yeah, after what happened with Ami, I just thought it'd be nice to really get to know my teammates and how they got roped into this mess." Hayder nodded in comprehension,

"Well, I assume Leon's told you about my older brother?"

"Yeah, how did you know?"

"Leon absolutely loves to gossip, no matter the topic, Ami doesn't like rumors, and you don't know Shina that well, so I assumed that if anyone told you, it's Leon."

"What about Riza?" He frowned, and replied,

"There's something funny about her. I understand you two are going out and all but get this: I did some digging on a hunch, and as it turns out, 'Riza' has never existed in this town before this year. So, whoever she is, she isn't from around here." I thought for a moment,

"Well, I certainly have feelings for her, and she's saved our skins more than once against Shadows, so let's keep an eye on her, but don't do anything rash. We owe her that much. Anyway, I wanted to hear about how you got a Persona."

"Oh, right. Well, it's true; my brother attacked me with a knife, on a cold, winter night. But, at first, I didn't know it was him. I was able to dodge the knife, and turn on the lights. But when I did that, my brother hissed and growled while covering his eyes, which were completely bloodshot. I swear, it was like he was possessed. It took me a while, but I remembered something odd about his shadow. It looked almost like a giant leech with glowing red eyes. One of the creepiest things I have ever seen, I swear." He shuddered, "anyway, I was five, so the most I could do was run and scream. But just when he was about to kill me, I felt an intense pain in my head, and my brother was frozen solid. I ran as fast as I could away from him. When the police arrested my frostbitten brother, he was no longer sane."  
"I assume that the ice was because of…?"

"It was due to Poseidon, yes." He continued, "But when I told the police about freezing my brother, they thought I was crazy. Of course, I was stupid, and I pushed the subject all through my grade-school years, so they tried to lock me up in an asylum. But that was when a man named Takeharu Kirijo demanded I be let out, and I "wasn't a harm to anyone but those with evil in their hearts." He fully believed my tale, and he gave me an encyclopedia. " Hayder pulled a thick, leather-bound book out of his jacket and handed it to me while saying, "A few years later, I met Shina, who had the persona Beelzebub, and Ami, who had the persona Pandora. About the encyclopedia, it's the thing that taught me everything about Personas, Shadows, the techniques of each, and what gods of mythology have to do with it." I looked up at him from the book,

"Gods?" He nodded,

"That's right. Greek, Japanese, Christian, and Norse mythologies weren't entirely metaphorical. A lot of myths and heroes were based off of Personas that ancient people wielded against the Shadows of the ancient world. I say most because there are a few that…don't exactly match up." I gave him a confused look, and he elaborated, "Nyx, the goddess of darkness, Izanami, Hades, and a few others match up as neither Personas, nor Shadow types. They're the only ones I think I can safely call "Gods." That is to say, beings of a higher consciousness that monitor the mortal plane." He sat back, "Anyway, now it's your turn. How did you find out about Personas?" I smiled, and put the Encyclopedia on the table before beginning,

"Okay, well, I've actually known about Personas all my life." Hayder sat up, shocked. "My father's side of the family has a history of Persona-users, to the point that they have a test that analyzes a person's blood for the potential to use a Persona. So, when I got tested positive, my father started to train me in martial arts, should I ever run into Shadows. Before we finished, though, my mother and father were killed, and the rest is history." I then added, "About your brother…I think I know what happened to him."  
"Well, please, feel free to explain."

"On the roof with Asini and Ami, he used a persona, but not like what you or I have. His was dark and corrupted. Then, last night, after I remembered the death of my parents, I realized why his persona was so dark: it didn't come to him naturally." Hayder furrowed his eyebrows,

"Come again?"  
"You and I got our Personas from fighting Shadows. But Asini, now there's no way he actually went out and fought Shadows. I think that the same being that killed my parents has been after Persona-users for years, and has learned how to force a Persona onto someone, but the Persona is corrupted as a result, and the being who forced the Persona onto the host can make the host do something they might do, but are not likely to do; for example, Asini acting on his rage for us not praising him as a god. Did you and your brother fight a lot?" Hayder's eyes widened in realization,

"Y-yes, we did…"

"The same method of hunting someone down and trying to kill them since they were children, AND they're Persona users? Way beyond coincidence."  
"Okay, so this Evil Being is hunting us, but to what end? Just because we're both Persona users?"

"I have a hunch, but I'll need to talk to the others alone first; form a theory of what's actually happening here using their origin stories as bases, then we'll call a meeting, and determine how, exactly, to proceed." Hayder nodded,  
"That's a sound plan for now. You'll call me when you're ready to call the meeting?" I nodded while getting out some money to pay for my half of the food.

"I will indeed." We paid the cashier, and I left for the dorm room to set up plans to meet with the other senior in our group…


	10. Chapter 10

**CHAPTER 10**

"Hello?"  
"Hey, Shina, it's Jay."

"Huh? Oh, hi Jay. I suppose you got this from Hayder…?" She sighed.

"Yeah…Everything all right?"

"Yeah, no…I don't know. Did you want something?"

"Well, I was hoping that we could meet up and talk? I know we really haven't gotten a chance to since I joined."

"Sure. I'll meet'cha at the park by the school. Sound good?"  
"Yeah. Be there in a bit. Oh, you better bring an umbrella, it's pouring out." I looked outside from the Dorm window, and indeed it was pouring. So, I took an umbrella, and met Shina at the park about a block from the school. It was a square meadow, but there was one tree in the very heart of the park; it was the largest tree I have ever seen, and would provide adequate shielding from the rain.

I walked to the tree, and looked up at the lack-thereof leaves. Rain poured down from the grey sky, and I wondered how, truly, if there was a God that managed our world, how they could ever let this happen to their children; us, the Humans. How they could stick us with dealing with their monsters.

"Jay!" I whipped around, and saw Shina running to me. I smiled, and she reciprocated. I sat beside her against the tree, and she said, "So, you wanted to talk?"  
"Yeah. After Ami, I felt that…getting to know everybody as much as possible was appropriate. Don't you think?" She smirked,

"Well, that's one list you probably won't be putting little-miss-righteous on." I raised an eyebrow,

'_Is she talking about Riza?' _I thought to myself before saying,

"What do you mean? Are you…Jealous of Riza?" she smiled sadly,

"You know, I had a crush on you, too…For a long time after you met me." My eyes widened, and a tear went down her face, and she looked at me with shut eyes, forcing a smile,

"W-why didn't you say anything?" Was all I really could say, before I heard her gasp and the tears truly began to flow down her face.

"I barely knew anything about you, and on top of that your attentions were focused on miss—I mean, on Riza." She sighed, "It started small, at first. But as we began to face Shadows, I started to waiver. My eyes would subconsciously wander to you, and I could never catch myself. And it just grew and grew. Finally, when I had the courage to do so, Riza and you announced that you two were together…But, we all have to get over things, don't we?" It broke me that she was so close to announcing her love, but…I had trampled over it in ignorance. I went to embrace her, but she said, "Don't. Just…be happy with her. Because if she dares to make you unhappy, I'm going to kill her…" She looked at me with hopeful eyes, "That's my new mission. If I can't be with you, I can at least try and keep you happy when you're with someone else." She caught her breath after a while.

"I…Actually did call you here…to talk about how you got a Persona." She smiled at me,

"Now why would you want to talk about something so dull like that?"

"Please, Shina," I looked at her, "this could determine how all this madness started." Noticing I wasn't playing, Shina's face turned surprised and serious.

"Okay. Well…My little brother tried to blow me up when I was thirteen, and my parents were incinerated, but…" she summoned her persona, Lilith, "Lilith saved me from the blast just in time. When I approached my little brother, he gripped his head, and screamed in pain. He was hunched over, and some kind of leech-like thing appeared in his shadow, and he attacked me. With Lilith's help, I was able to stop him, but…My power overwhelmed him, and it destroyed his mind…" She looked at me,

"Does that…Does that help?" I ruffled her hair, like a parent would a small child,

"Yes, it does, Shina. Thank you for sharing it with me." I smiled at her. She returned the innocent smile, and sighed before saying,

"Thank you for listening... Now, can we talk about something else, please? Anything but about Personas, Shadows, any of the stupid monsters in the world…I…Just want to have a normal conversation."

"You don't have any friends aside from us?" She shook her head,

"When you're a lunatic screaming that you have powers beyond anything anyone can comprehend, you don't get the luxury of friendship…" She giggled, almost, at her own statement, "Wow, that was real cold, wasn't it?" I patted her shoulder,

"It isn't your fault. If you faced the same kind of ridicule my family did, then I don't blame you for being cold…" She looked at me curiously,

"What do you mean, ridicule?" I explained the story of how I got my Persona quickly,

"…So, whenever people found out about my family, they reported us to the police."

"Wow…How did you manage to keep out of jail?"  
"It's actually not that hard. Keep moving, don't get too close to anyone, and never, NEVER, say anything about Personas."

"…I wish I was born into your family." I laughed,

"That makes two of us. I'd be much happier if I had a sister. Especially if she was you." Shina grinned like a kid, and I ruffled her hair again.

We sat, talking about various things, be it school, the weather, or just how we are in general. Finally, I noticed,

"Shina, I think your teeth are chattering."  
"W-what? N-n-no th-th-they aren't..." I laughed at her trying to say it as she shivered, and I embraced her.

"Come on. Let's get you back to the dorm before you freeze to death, you poor thing." I led her back to her dorm room, and returned to my own to rest for tomorrow…


	11. Chapter 11

**CHAPTER 11**

The following morning was the last one where I could take the day off, so I decided to go see my little cousin. I had been visiting Ami every day I could since the shooting, though I had little chance to speak with her, since she was sleeping a lot of the time I had visited her. Leon had also frequented her room, and after seeing them kiss, I simply told Leon to "Be careful with her. She's not exactly in the strongest of states right now." He definitely agreed with me, saying he'd been exceedingly cautious.

Luckily for me, the morning after I met Shina, I came in and she was fully awake. When we connected eyes, she lit up immediately and I went inside the room.  
"Hey, Ami, are you doing okay? I've been coming to see you, but you're always asleep."  
"Meh. I'm okay, I suppose. The hospital stuff's been good, and Aunt Kay's got enough money to cover most of the expenses. That said, though…" She went quiet, and I pulled up a chair next to her, saying,

"What's up?"

"Jay…right now, it hurts like hell to even move my arms, and I can't imagine what it's like to possibly move my legs. The doctors say that even if I make any sort of recovery, I'll never walk again. My arms will hurt to move for the first few months of physical therapy. And to put the cherry on the sundae, I have psychotic episodes about Asini kidnapping me. So…No, I'm really not okay." I had no response to that; how could I? She was in so much pain, and I could do absolutely nothing to help her.

"Well," I said, trying to change the subject for the sake of cheering her up, "I think I know why Asini did this to you, if it's any consolation. She raised an eyebrow at me.

"Go on then," she said, half-curious, half-suspicious, "let's hear why the son-of-a-bitch decided to kidnap and shoot me. Oh wait, maybe it's because he was bat-shit insane, and should have been put down because he was a psychopath." I opened my mouth, but didn't say anything at first, trying to find the words.

"That's…That's part of it, but that isn't why he acted on his actions."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, every thought a Humans have goes through a 'filter' which will decide whether we act upon said thoughts or not, right?"

"Right," she said with a quick nod, "that would be our moral compass; what we believe is right or wrong."

"Well, what if I told you there was a Shadow that could shift our moral compass to make us act like it wants, but the Shadow itself is invisible?" Her eyes widened, and she sat up with interest,

"Go on…"

"I've talked to both Hayder and Shina, and both of them have said that a close sibling attacked them, and their Personas reacted." I waited for her to interrupt, and sure enough,

"But wait, that makes no sense; Personas only react to…Shadow…activity…" Her eyes went wide,

"This Shadow, which I oh-so affectionately refer to as 'The Hunter Leech,' attaches itself to its victim without even knowing it, and, as I said, shifts their moral compass into its favor. It happened with Hayder's elder brother, it happened with Shina's little brother and it happened with Asini. But that's not the worst of it; the worst of it is the fact that I think the Hunter Leech is – very quickly – evolving. When Hayder and Shina encountered it, it could only shift moral compasses, but when I fought Asini, he had a dark imitation of a Persona, which I believe was forced onto him via the Hunter Leech." She looked at me curiously,

"Why would the Hunter Leech want to force a Persona onto **Asini** of all people?"

"That's actually simpler than you think, Ami. Asini openly took you hostage, which, at first, seems like something he would do, but think about it; Asini knew he'd be caught and taken away, which is very unlike him. He wanted to be worshipped, a thousand pretty women at his feet, and he wanted a monument that was built to the heavens with his name plastered on a big neon sign at the top. And yet he acted in a scenario in which he knew he'd get caught?"

"So you think that the Hunter Leech forced a Persona onto Asini to make him easier to control?"

"Exactly, and that also brings us to my next point: the Hunter Leech went after **us**, specifically. Now why would it do that? We already know Shadows aren't exactly the smartest beings, even that Draconian Serpent we went toe-to-toe with wasn't that sentient."

"Wait, wait; the Hunter Leech went after you too?"

"No, but what **did** might be the key to all this."

"Okay, I'm all ears; I've got to hear this one."

"My parents didn't die in some freak accident, Ami; there was a…being at the house that night."

"I thought you said you didn't remember anything from that night."

"I only remembered it the night after you were shot. Anyway, there was something at the house that night. A woman, wearing a flowing black robe and carrying a huge scythe; I thought she was a Shadow at first due to her skin being a dark gray, but now I know exactly what she was; Hel, the goddess of death and the afterlife."  
"Wait, what?" Ami said with a confused look on her face.

"Hayder said that, besides Humans, there are three types of beings in our universe: Personas, which are forged on the anvil of our personality; Shadows, which are beings with souls that are inverse of our own, hence why they're so animalistic and instinct-driven, though there are exceptions; and lastly, there are the powerful creatures that have the powers of Personas and Shadows, yet are their own individual beings. Hayder said that many of the gods and goddesses in mythologies are Personas, but there are a few that fall into this 'Others' category, which he has named 'Gods,' since it only seems right."

"So, you believe that the mastermind behind all the Shadows that have been after us is Hel, goddess of death?"

"That about sums it up, yeah."

"Question, though; if Hel has been around all this time, why is it only now that she's coming after us? And why us?"

"That's where the answers stop; I have no idea why she's just now doing this, or why she came after us specifically." I replied with a sigh.

"Well, one thing's for sure: tonight, you, sir, are calling a meeting for N.E.S.T. to discuss this and come up with a plan on how to deal with Miss Hel."  
"What about you?" I said with deep concern, and she chuckled,

"Oh, I'll be fine, trust me, I'm not going anywhere."

"All right, if you say so…" I said with a smile. We spoke a little bit more before I left to call the meeting for around nine-thirty.

As I got back to the dorm lobby, I saw Riza sitting on one of the couches we had recently put in, and decided that calling the meeting could wait just a little while longer whilst I talked with my girlfriend.

"Hey there, Miss; don't mind if I have a seat beside you, do you?" I said with a smile. She looked up at me and said,

"Of course not. How've you been? Hayder tells me you've taken off for a few days to come up with a plan to deal with the Shadows."

"Yeah, I'm about to call a meeting for tonight, so you had better be there." I said playfully. She layed her head on my shoulder, and I wrapped my arm gently around her shoulder before giving her a kiss on the head. We chatted about how life was, cracked a few jokes, got into a tickling war, and just laid beside one another on the couch before I got up to go do what I first came to the dorm to do…

I got to the conference room first, taking my seat at one of the Judge chairs. Soon enough, Leon, Riza, Shina, and Hayder all filed in. To my left sat Riza, and Leon to my right; Shina sat next to Leon, while the seat beside Riza was empty. I took a deep breath, and stood before starting to explain.

"This meeting has been called in the light of a startling realization of mine, and after a bit of investigation, something disturbing has come to my attention about the Shadows. When Hayder was little, his elder brother tried to kill him with a knife, and his Persona awakened to defend him. When Shina was thirteen, her little brother set off a bomb which killed her parents, but her Persona awakened to defend her. It's obvious that – in both cases – their Personas should not have reacted, and yet they did. Why? Well, it's because…" I proceeded to explain the Hunter Leech, and how it's growing rapidly. I then explained my theory of Hel, before explaining my very close encounter with said goddess.

"Now that we know who the enemy is…" I said, "All we have to do is formulate a plan to defeat her." Riza stood, making everyone's gaze turn to her. I looked at her with curious and calm eyes, not at all expecting the words about to come from her mouth…

"I-I have a confession to make…" She said with a nervous stutter. I looked at her quizzically, and then she said…

"_I am Hel…"_


	12. Chapter 12

**CHAPTER 12**

I stared at her, my jaw hanging open as if it had broken. This woman, Riza, the woman I thought I had fallen so far in love with, was the one who was behind it all. **She** was responsible for everything! **She** killed Hayder's brother! **She **killed Shina's brother! **She **hunted me down and killed my parents! All this death and destruction was **all her fault!** It took every ounce of restraint I had not to reach across the table and destroy this creature.

"…What…" I said slowly, the venom in my voice clearly striking hard.

"I-it's not what you think, though!" She said with panic, but before she was able to say anything else, I interrupted with,

"It damn well better **not **be, because I don't care what kind of god-like being you think you are, you bleed, so consequently, you can die!"

"I'm only part of Hel! I'm not the part that did all of these horrible things!"

"Oh, this'll be good!" yelled Leon, a look of disgust coloring his face.

"Please, you have to believe me! Hel has a split personality! I'm Risana, the guardian half of Hel! I'm the one who guides the dead to the afterlife and cares for the troubled souls who can't get there! My other half, Kamasa, is the one who was responsible for reaping the dead and then turning things over to me! However, she eats the souls that are beyond saving, and she wanted more, but I refused to give any of the souls that deserved to go to the afterlife to her! So, we began to fight so much that our physical form was split clean in two!" She pointed at the scar on her lip, "which is why I have this! I'll wager that, if we can find Kamasa, she'll have a scar just like this one on the opposite side of her lips!" Leon shot up and roared,

"And why should we believe a word you say?!"

"Leon, please sit down. She's telling the truth."

"What?! How do you know that, Jay?!" Leon said, his anger now aiming at me.

"A week before the full moon appeared and we faced the Draconian serpent, a little girl came to my room and warned me. She wore a criminal's outfit, her hair was light blonde, she had the scar that Riza has on the opposite side of her lips, and, the best part is, her name is Kamas."

Everyone just sat there, stunned at the revelations that had been presented to us. Yet, the question of "_Why did she warn us?_" loomed in the back of everyone's minds, I'm sure. Suddenly…

_Clap_

_Clap_

_Clap_

_Clap_

"Bravo," said Kamas as our gazes shot towards the doorway, "my dear guardian half, bravo indeed. You know, I planned on them thinking that you were all of Hel, therefore killing you, and thinking it was over until it was too late." Her form shifted now; she got far taller, and a midnight black robe encircled her now fading-away prison outfit, her hair extended, her skin turned a dark gray, a scythe formed in her hand, and her scar, along with her veins and some marks that swirled along her body, glowed a dark, dark red.

"…Kamasa…" growled Riza in anger, "how could you do all of this?!" Kamasa just shrugged and replied,

"It's not that complicated, actually. Without your stupid restrictions, I can send out my children to collect souls for me. My strongest was the large serpent you killed. Poor thing, it didn't even do anything wrong, it just did what I told it to…" she said with a fake sigh.

"Bullshit," I shot back, "if that were true, how can all the Shadows just roam free, far away from their mother? They don't have a hive mind, for they all aren't the same, which means that, if we're to believe you, you handle all the orders to them. **All **of the orders. However, we both know that the telepathic strain would completely destroy your mind, which ultimately means that while the Shadows obey your general commands, they do have some sense of free will as well!" Kamasa snickered, and I yelled,

"Vedrfolnir!" the eagle could be heard, and a fireball flew toward Kamasa, who smacked it away with her scythe. She just smiled and said,

"Is that all you have in that supposed legendary arsenal of yours? Then this'll be easier than I thought. Oh, and if you're wondering why I've been warning you, it's so that I have the pleasure of crushing you myself. So, don't be surprised if you get attacked in, say, the next hour. Nidhoggr is quite hungry, so feed him well, will you?" Kamasa said with a poisonous smile before disappearing without a trace. Everything that had a blank in it was suddenly horribly clear to me.

Kamasa, the dark half of Hel, goddess of the underworld, and Risana, the light half of Hel. They were two very different beings, yet trapped in the same body. Risana tended to the guiding of those who weren't lucky enough to make it into the Great Army. Meanwhile, Kamasa consumed those who were cowardly and unfit to be at peace, and she set her "dragon," Nidhoggr, which we have been referring to as the Hunter Leech, onto those who had tried to escape her.

But there was little time to worry about the origins of my lover and enemy, for Nidhoggr was coming for us, and I suspected he wouldn't exactly take his time.

"Everybody, out into the street! Start to make some kind of wall! Keep out of the buildings, because if this thing has teeth strong enough to get at the roots of the tree of life, then the support structure of the dorm is **not **doing us any favors!" Knowing what was after us, Hayder, Shina, and Leon all ran out as fast as they could to prepare, whereas Riza sort-of just stood there, surprised that I wasn't screaming at her for anything she'd done, I think. I looked at her, and said,

"Risana…there isn't time to talk right now. If I could, I would, and settle this dispute, but right now, we've got Nidhoggr to deal with, and I'd like to focus on him. So, if you have any advice, **any** at all, now would most certainly be the time."

"Right, um…" she squeezed her eyes shut, thinking as hard as she could, "Kamasa calls it a dragon, but it's just a giant leech that breathes fire, so…" She looked up at me, "Fight fire with fire?"

"If you say so." I sighed, running out of the dorm with her. Hayder and Shina had brought out some cement bags from a nearby construction center. I helped Riza get some bags in a brick-like pattern in the same way that Hayder and Shina were setting them up. Leon had become one of our strongest, and was able to carry bags by himself.

Finally, when all the bags we could find were lain out in a small wall, we waited eagerly. A realization crossed my mind, and I asked Riza,

"Wait, if Nidhoggr's been invisible this whole time, how are we going to-?"

"The fires," she replied quickly, her gaze clearly focused on the roads, "will illuminate him, and render his invisibility useless. Prior to that, you'll be able to see his water-like form, but I doubt you'll hit him. Just send some fire out somewhere near him; it should be enough." I nodded, and turned my gaze back to the road.

The ground cracked as something tunneled like a subterranean torpedo at us.

"Get ready!" I shouted, and all of a sudden, the ground burst open, and a water-like form I could barely make out jumped towards us. That's when I struck, hitting the worm with a huge wall of fire, casted by Vedrfolnir. The blow struck true, sending Nidhoggr reeling into the ground.

The bloated worm was beyond abhorrent; two sets of twelve stubby feet lined the white Leech's mass, while sets of ten flat teeth were within the beast's maw. There were purple, pulsating veins up and down Nidhoggr's pale body. It hissed at us, and let out an ear-piercing shriek. I was about to strike, but Riza suddenly shouted,

"Guardian, cut this monster in two!" And so, the white-dressed woman appeared to heed her mistress's command, but Nidhoggr wasn't an easy one to take down. He fought back, throwing away Guardian's scythe, and just as he pulled his head back to breathe fire, I shouted,

"King Frost!" The beast was struck by a thousand icicles, and I saw purple venom swirling in its maw. Just as it aimed at me, I took a step forward and yelled, "Titania!" who used Garudyne, sending the venom flying back into Nidhoggr's face. It screeched and shook its head, trying to get off the poison. It next spat some lighter-fluid at me, or rather, tried to. Thor appeared, hammering the worm's mouth shut, forcing it to close its jaws and spit lighter fluid all on the inside. Leon then struck the creature with ziodyne, setting its mouth ablaze. I nodded to him, and Nidhoggr, feeling frustration and anger, charged right at me. I just smiled,

"Vidaar!" I yelled at the top of my lungs, and pointed my rapier at the worm's open mouth, which tried to consume me. Instead, it was met with the oversized great-sword of the warrior Persona, which promptly cut Nidhoggr clean in half. As the two halves of its carcass lay around me, I raised my blade and roared at the top of my lungs, claiming victory. The others gathered around me to decide what to do next as Nidhoggr's body melted into the ground. I ignored my teammates around me; my gaze was instead fixed on Kamasa, who had watched the entire thing from the end of the street. She had a toxic smile on her face from ear to ear. She approached us, and said,

"My, my, that was quite impressive for a group of mortals. Very well, should you wish to oppose the coming darkness, then I shall await you atop my tower and the year's end." She whirled around, and disappeared. Just then, that's when we saw it: A giant building, big enough to house an army. Riza gasped before whispering,

_"No...Valhalla..."_


	13. Chapter 13

**CHAPTER 13**

I told everyone to go home and get some rest, for if there was any time that we were going to have to kick things into overdrive, it'd be the month that we were going to enter the following morning, December. Just as I had thought everyone had left, and I turned toward the stairs…

"Jay…" Riza's voice echoed, and I replied without facing her,

"What, Risana?" I could almost hear her shudder at the cold use of her true name.

"How long did you know?"

"That Kamasa was the mastermind? Truth is, until the events with Asini happened, I hadn't even suspected my dark half had anything to do with the Shadows, and by the time I figured it out, you had called the meeting." I whirled around to face her; to try and say something, **anything**, to justify me being so cold towards her, despite her doing her best to stop her other half. But then, I saw her true form, not the Human one she used to interact, but the form of the goddess Risana whom I knew and loved deeply.

She was six feet tall, to start; her feet now looked like they were angled up, as if she wore natural high-heels. Her legs were toned without a single hint of imperfection, the same with her arms. She held an hourglass figure with a D-cup bust, her neck was thick, but not terribly so, just enough to make her look proportional. Her cyan hair had formed into two sets of horns emerging from either side of the back of her head, and was held in said form by light purple ribbon, while the rest of her cyan hair stretched downward in a reverse flame pattern (little portions jutting out here and there, like a drawing of a flame, coming to a point at the end) to her backside. Her skin was pure white, but not as you might think. It had a heavenly sky-blue hue, which sounds as if it would look disturbing, but quite the contrary was true; It only accentuated her features, and made her beautiful to look at. Her eyes held a caring deep blue color, while her lips were colored lavender.

Needless to say, my breath was stolen right from my mouth as I gazed upon the goddess.

"I-I see you like my true form…" I cleared my throat before replying,

"That's about the biggest understatement I've ever heard; there are not enough words in our mortal language to describe such beauty as yours, my love…"

"Y-your love? D-does that mean that…" she trailed off, eyes glowing with hope.

"Riza, I…" I lowered my head in shame, "…I wanted to blame you at first, you and Kamasa both. But you've tried your best to be true to me without exposing me to forces I wasn't ready for. If you had figured everything out to start and still not told me, that would have been best. Those who learn of their destinies too quickly often fall, thinking that fate is absolute. The threads of fate, like all strings, are ever shifting and changing places." I approached her, and hugged her lovingly while whispering, "Thank you…" I felt her warm arms wrap around me, and her face settle into my shoulder. We just stood in one another's arms for a time, before we spent the night together.

The following weeks, the team and I got to work. We did as much of our schoolwork as we could before getting home, and whatever wasn't done by then was just dead weight, for our training came first. We split up, as we were now able to take on most of the Shadow Nests with only two people – Or, in Leon's case, alone –, which provided us with the chance to get a lot more experience and defeat a lot more boss Shadows than we would alone. Before I knew it, I had several ultimate Personas under my belt: Susano-o, Melchizedek, Beelzebub, Odin, and Chi You, yet, in the very back, I kept Vedrfolnir locked safely away.

Fast-forward-ing to about halfway through December, I entered the Velvet Room for one of the last times, only to see that Igor wasn't there. Indeed, only Mia was there, sitting before me, holding the Compendium.

"Uh, hi Mia…" I said, looking around, "Where's Igor?"

"He's…not here, at the moment, but that's beside the point. I wanted to speak to you alone…"

"All right," I said, leaning back, "What's going on? Is something happening to the Velvet Room?"

"In a manner of speaking, I suppose." I stared at her, confused, but her only reply was,

"The last two times your kin visited this place, each of my sisters was their assistants; Elizabeth for Minato Arisato, and Margaret for Yu Narukami. And each of my sisters issued a challenge to their specific guest. Each guest took on the challenge, and defeated their respective assistant. Afterwards, when the guest left the Velvet Room seemingly for good, my sisters followed them not long after. Are you seeing a pattern?" I understood her insinuation, and smiled,

"Well, miss Mia? Let's hear this challenge!" A bright smile crossed her face.

"Very well. Jameson Grivuura, I challenge you to a one-on one duel. If you win, you get this!" She held the compendium open to a page that had a Persona named "The Immortal Vedrfolnir of Yggdrasil," or rather, just Immortal Vedrfolnir. In the image, Vedrfolnir was a proud, Phoenix-like beast with wings alight with golden flames. Its feathers were metallic and silvery, and its eyes were like small white fireballs. "And if you lose," Mia said, bringing me back to reality, "Then, oh well I suppose. Before you accept, you must know that I will go all out; I have the entire compendium at my disposal, and you only have the Personas on you. And, you are alone. So, do you allow me this pleasure?" I grinned,

"Hell yeah. Where and when? I'm ready now!" She smiled,

"Very well then," she snapped her fingers, and the plane widened, turning into a huge dome arena. I looked at Mia, and she had the Compendium open to a page, and my eyes widened.

"Let the games," she slammed it shut, and I saw a red glow, "Begin!" Her first Strike was let by Lucifer, who used God's Hand. Acting quickly, I brought out Susano-o, who barely blocked the assault, and I ordered him to counter with Vorpal blade, but she simply switched Yamata-no-Orochi and guarded against it, before swapping to Abaddon, and grinning at me wolfishly. She used Megadolaon, sending me flying. I landed on the ground, battered and bruised form her assault. I stood, looking at her as she prepared to finish me off. I closed my eyes and waited…

"_NO!"_

Riza's voice screamed in my brain, "_I don't care who this woman is, if you let her beat you, you aren't standing a chance against Kamasa! You need that Persona, she needs you to beat her, I need you not to get your ass kicked! So if you need a little inspiration…"_ The memories I shared with everyone began to play in my head, reminding me of why I needed Immortal Vedrfolnir, and that Mia needed release from here, and she'd only get that from me. I gritted my teeth and stood, just as her Megadolaon was about ready to fire, and yelled,

"Guardian!" (By this point, the English version of Coils of Light from Dragon's Dogma has started to play) The maiden of death appeared and swiftly sliced Abaddon clean in two. Mia yelped and jumped back in pain before looking at me with surprise, and switching her Persona.

"Chi You, Vorpal Blade!"  
"Beelzebub, Die for Me!" Before Chi You got a chance to strike, Card warriors rained from the skies onto Chi You, killing him. Mia shuddered again, yelling,

"Yamata-no-Orochi!" The serpent appeared, hissing at me. I responded with,

"Susano-o!" Susano-o appeared and casted Agidyne as Mia prepared for a physical attack. Her eyes widened as the blaze of fire hit its mark, and I grinned. She growled, and cried,

"Phoenix!" A fiery red bird appeared, and I shouted,

"Odin!" An orb of electricity struck the bird, grounding it for good. Mia was panting now; she was exhausting all of the Personas she had planned to use, and was running out of health to call on others. Down to her last few attempts, she now yelled,

"Satan!" I laughed at the irony, and replied,

"Chi You!" My Persona appeared, and I yelled,

"Mahamaon!" The bright lights shattered the Prince of Evil, leaving her with just one last option…

"Lucifer!" She called.

"Vedrfolnir!" Both Mia and I glared at one another, and she pulled a very risky move, nearly destroying herself to execute…

"ARMAGEDDON!" I reacted in moments, using a fusion spell of my own just as the explosion hit.

She grinned, thinking she had won; but then, I appeared, with Vedrfolnir landed beside me and Guardian in a neutral stance as a reflective, crystalline orb-like casing protected us.

"Infinity…" I said with a sigh, before breaking the spell, and yelling, "RAGNAROK!" Vedrfolnir landed on Guardian's back, and as she rushed forward, He coated the lady-reaper in white fire. They rushed toward Lucifer, faster and faster and faster until,

Guardian's scythe hooked on Lucifer's midriff,

And she pulled.

Mia cried out in pain as our Personas disappeared, and a defeated smile crossed her face. She got up, dusted herself off, and approached me. We shook hands, and I said,

"Definitely one of the most difficult fights I've ever had, as well as one of the most fun. Thank you." She nodded,

"Of course. You deserve this…" She handed me a blue light, and I felt Vedrfolnir transform into Immortal Vedrfolnir. I bowed to Mia, wishing her goodbye and good luck with whatever plans she had next…


	14. Chapter 14

**CHAPTER 14**

From that day until New Year's, I don't think I've ever worked so hard and trained so much for an event I knew would more than likely only run the course of a single night. I ate, drank, and slept the Persona/Shadow conflict, and the entire team was aware of Kamasa's looming threats hanging over our heads. So, it kind-of goes without saying that we worked so hard that it hurt beyond belief. I had talked to Ami on a regular basis, telling her that we were getting ready for our assault on Valhalla.

Riza had only showed her goddess form to me, and preferred to keep her Human form when interacting with the others. When we were in the Conference room together, waiting for the others to meet us there so we could start our assault on Valhalla, I told her that I had called on Guardian during my battle with Mia, she smiled and said,

"I know, I felt you tug on my spirit; an odd feeling, to be sure, though not necessarily a bad one. It felt as if you needed my help, and I let you have it."

"It's good to know that I can work with her too." I smiled, and Riza laughed.

"Do you actually know why I have Guardian?"

"To tell the truth, not really, no."

"Well," she sighed, sitting back, "It's because, when Kamasa and I tore apart, there was a part missing from me; a void she used to fill. To substitute, something equally destructive and wild was born: My Persona."

"So, she's like a substitute?"  
"Well, yes and no; while she did replace Kamasa, I believe that, as long as I have Guardian, I'll be able to maintain my duties as Goddess." I smiled at her,

"That's wonderful news, isn't it?" She nodded before looking very sullen,

"Will we…" she trailed off, "…I won't be able to see you as often once we defeat Kamasa. I'll be forced to return to guiding the huge amount of dead souls that have more than likely backed up due to Kamasa's lack of care in that department." I sighed,

"Isn't there a way you could…I don't know…build a canal to Shepherd the dead?"

"Well, it wouldn't be impossible…" She smiled tenderly at me, and I to her. The door to the conference room opened, and everyone (minus Ami, of course) stepped down the staircase. Hayder sighed and said,

"I had to convince the Captain of Lapillus's Police Force that we could handle Valhalla. At first, he said no, but then a red-haired woman who identified herself as Mitsuru Kirijo told him to cooperate, so he did."  
"Kirijo?" I said with a surprised tone,

"Yeah, like the man who gave me the encyclopedia. Anyway, they'll keep civilians away, and won't interfere."

"That's good to know," I said with a sigh of relief. Leon looked at me with a grin, saying,

"Ami told me to tell you to go kick Hel's ass!" Riza loudly cleared her throat, "Oh, right, sorry Riza!" He said with an awkward smile. Shina and I looked at one another, and she simply nodded, a serious look in her eyes. I looked at Riza with a grin, and stood up.

"Well, let's get started!"

As we walked up to the enormous tower, Riza explained to us a few things,

"Once we get inside, there are a few things you should know about Valhalla: Firstly, don't drink the water, it's actually extremely potent alcohol, and will get you drunk in a single sip; secondly, do not, I repeat, do** NOT **try and eat the pig on the spit above. It's a live boar that packs a hell of a punch, and I'd rather avoid dealing with it if at all possible; thirdly, it's more than likely that we are going to encounter Shadows within those walls unlike all others, since they were forged from the very darkest depths of Kamasa's black heart. Got all that?" We nodded in unison, getting weapons ready to go inside the once bright hall that was now so, so dark. Riza unlocked the door with a special power, and we entered…

There were purple stain-glass windows everywhere, and between each floor was a skylight that extended to the roof. The floors were made of marble, as were the staircases, and each floor had a fountain in a different part of the room; the first being in the center, the second being on the left, the third on the right, and so on and so forth. Everyone just stared, awestruck by the incredible sight, despite the gloomy purple windows. Riza grinned like a cat,

"Guys, I know it's pretty, but we have a rogue god to stop." We focused our attentions back onto the task at hand, and began to climb.

The first ten floors seemed like a breeze as we faced down moderately difficult-to-handle Shadows in groups of four to five at a time, mostly consisting of Reavers, Chimeras, Gigas, and Phantoms. They came in all colors, gradually getting tougher as we climbed. There was a particular instance in which a group of Reavers ambushed us, but they were no match for the combined abilities of our Personas: Hayder with King Poseidon, an upgraded form of the original; Shina with Succubus, who had formed from Lilith after a particularly brutal battle; Leon with Thor, God of thunder, an armored upgrade of the original; Riza with Goddess Guardian, who had eight powerful wings (four per side) and a triple-headed Scythe; and of course, yours truly with Immortal Vedrfolnir. Post clearing the first ten floors, the next one was filled with several beds, enough for us to rest in.

"Oh, right, I clean forgot, every ten floors – excluding the roof – there are these resting rooms. We're safe here, I think," Said Riza. We took a quick rest, and then got back to work climbing Valhalla.

Floors Eleven through twenty were a bit harder to deal with; there were quite a few Devious Mayas, at least one per group, some Grand Maguses, some vehement idols, and a tiny amount of revelation Pesces. Not anything out of our reach, but they gave us some trouble. Floors Twenty-one to thirty consisted of a similar set of shadows, though they were a bit tougher and larger in size, which consequently made them more difficult to avoid. They also came with some new moves, having upgraded from the second tier of magic to the third "dyne" tier. Ramping it up a bit, but not exhausting.

Thirty-one to forty, however, were surprisingly tiring; Venus, dark, and Jupiter eagles; creation, consistency, and growth relics; Pistil mothers, often several in a round; lastly, some crazy twins just to piss us off. The others were starting to get tired, but Riza came prepared; when Shina began to give in, Riza handed her a healthy-purple fruit and told her to eat, and it would refresh her. And so it did, immediately making her fully strong again. She had brought enough of the healing fruits to feed an entire freaking army.

Forty-one to fifty was the hardest we thought things would get; Adamant, Strength, and Emperor Beetles; Champion, Hell, and Intrepid Knights; Power, Raindrop, and King Castles; and, on top of everything else, we had the Reaper on our tails, which was absolutely LOVELY. We weren't even at floor forty-five when we started to need the healing fruits, and the reaper appeared on the same floor. Needless to say, we were happy to get into the beds.

If we had thought Forty-one to fifty was difficult, then the next fifty were impossible. It was a gauntlet of boss shadows that looked like ones we'd already faced, but their power to that of the normal ones' was like comparing a rocket launcher to a tennis ball. However, I'm getting ahead of myself. In the first ten floors, (fifty-one to sixty,) we first squared off against a Venus Eagle, followed by a dancing hand, then a Rampage drive, a crying table, change relic, golden beetle, intrepid knight, furious gigas, fanatic tower, AND a magical magus, each on a consecutive floor. Afterwards, Hayder asked Riza if she knew why there was a sudden ramp in difficulty, and Riza replied that it was Kamasa amusing herself to see if we could make it past, quite literally, everything we had faced.

We prepped ourselves, and then began again, running into another gauntlet: Natural Dancers, Arcane Turrets, Sleeping tables, a Hell Knight, a Mythical Gigas, a Judgment sword, Stasis Giant, Phantom King, Royal Dancer, and a Reckoning Dice. It took all we had to make it through, but when we did, it was so worth it. This particular healing room had an uncanny power: our resolve, now nearly broken, was renewed, and after a rest, we were eager to begin again. And the shadows were eager to face us. For seventy-one to eighty, we got slammed by a Noble seeker, Carnal Snake, World balance, Fierce Cyclops, a Jotun of grief, an Angry Table, Wonderful Magus, Writhing Tiara, Silent book, and Ruinous idol. Despite the fierce competition, we had torn a fierce gash into the Shadows' numbers through this tower, and they wouldn't be easy to get back.

Next up was eighty-one to ninety, with only nine after that (not counting the roof) to go. And so, we started again. This time, our opponents were: Eternal Eagle, Growth Relic, Divine Mother, an Emporer Beetle, Power Castle, Killer Twins, Fanatic Tower, White Sigil, Gracious Cupids, and an Ardent Dancer. It had become clear that both Leon and Thor were our main powerhouses. I earnestly think we couldn't have done this whole thing without them, and that's saying quite a bit. Ninety-one through ninety-five were normal bosses, but then, Ninety-six hit. As we approached a dark figure in the center of the area, Shina gasped.

"N-no way…" She whispered, eyes wide. The man in the center had a toxic smirk on his face,

"Come now, Shina, don't you recognize your own little brother?" Everyone was struck dumb as the boy laughed, "Well? Aren't you going to face me alone, Shina? That's the only way that the door behind me is unlocking!" He said, pointing behind him to (indeed) a locked door. Shina's gaze went dark with anger; I reached out, but she said,

"It's fine. I've moved on, and this…creature…is not the brother I once had as a child." I nodded, and she stepped into the Arena. Her brother struck first, moving fast toward her as he summoned a corrupt version of Loki and tried to strike her with a bolt of lightning, but Shina was having none of it. I don't think that, besides Mia, I had ever felt such power. She had a maroon glow around her, the world had gone monochrome, and she was focused on naught but the fight. As her brother (or the illusion of such) tried dashing past her, she grabbed him by the throat, held him in the air for a few moments, and then slammed him on the ground multiple times. Having had enough of that, she threw him – yes, I said she **threw** him – at the opposing wall with such force that it cracked. Succubus appeared, clearly drunk on the dark power that had awakened in her master, and Shina punted her brother into the air and shouting,

"You aren't my brother, just some corrupt illusion masking as him! Burn in hell!" Just as her brother flew into the direct center of the room, we saw it; glowing circular spires, halting for just a moment before jutting out into Shina's brother's body, which collapsed after taking such a powerful blow. We all just stood there in awe, as Shina's maroon aura faded, and she returned to normal. The door was open, so she yelled, "Come on, let's hurry it up!" We followed her quickly, climbing up the staircase.

We came out into another room like the last arena, and another man stood in the center of the room, but this time, it was Hayder who reacted. He shuddered at the sight of his older sibling who waited, and taunted,

"Haydeeer, come on out bud, I know you're there! You want to get up to the top, right? Well, all you gotta do is beat me, and you get to go in! Sounds fair, right?" I grabbed Hayder's shoulder, but he nodded at me, and said,

"I'll be fine, Jay. My real brother's dead and buried, like Shina's. Killing the imposter shouldn't be hard." He said with a cocky smile before running at the imposter, charging like a bull.

"Didn't you learn that…" The imposter paused for a moment, "That doesn't WORK?!" A corrupt Yamata-No-Orochi emerged and erected a shield around him. Hayder just smiled, and yelled back,

"And didn't you realize that you can only protect against what you see coming?!" Hayder ran into the wall, but dispersed into a puddle of water, revealing the deception. The imposter looked around in panic, but Hayder's trident impaled him through the chest. "My true brother would have figured that out. He was smarter than you will ever be, creature, and you defile his name by taking his form!" Hayder emitted a blue aura, and the world went monochrome again. Hayder lifted into the air, and called down a rain of ice daggers onto the imposter, impaling him and ending him. Hayder gradually returned to normal, and asked,

"Well, shall we?" We proceeded up the stairs to floor ninety-eight, where we were suddenly assaulted by Nidhoggr, or a replication, at least. Riza growled as she stood,

"I guess the worm's back for round two?!"

"Then let's give it what it wants!" Yelled Shina, pounding her fists together with excitement. Nidhoggr was a lot tougher this time around, utilizing his breath powers a lot more carefully, and he had a set of black armor over his thin hide. But that didn't stop us, at this point, nothing would have; Leon told us to draw its attention, an easy feat, while he used Thor's lightning to blast the armor away. As the frustrated beast charged toward me, just like last time, I stood ready, and at the last moment, I summoned Vidar, who sliced the worm clean in two, making it disappear into the darkness. Still on an adrenaline rush, we vaulted to floor ninety-nine, expecting another enemy. But no, it was just one last healing room before the finale. We were utterly exhausted, and were eager to rest our worn bodies before the final confrontation.


	15. Chapter 15: THE FINALE

**CHAPTER 15: THE FINALE**

The only audible sounds were the strapping of combat gear onto our refreshed bodies as we prepared for our final battle with the Goddess of Death. I stood on a large stone on the room's far side, and said,

"Listen, I'm usually not one for cheesy speeches right before a finale, but…I think this deserves one. Ever since I met you guys, this whole thing has been a volatile journey we could have easily been broken on. And even before then, when this started all those years ago, the enemy we face now tried to break us; but she didn't. She didn't succeed, nor will she ever." I paused, "You know," I said again, "I hear people saying or I read articles that tell of us Humans being weak and petty creatures without a point but to just consume in life, and I think I can safely make a retort to that now; one that's appropriate for our scenario. I'll say it: Humans are pathetically weak. We live in a world with beings that could crush us under their heels as if we were ants. But, uh, the cool part about us as ants is that we're smart and resourceful; we're all gifted with a separate trait which we can call our own. Are there people out there with similar traits? Oh, certainly, but everyone has their own talent. But when being resourceful and clever just won't save us, there are those of us with the power to protect others with our very souls, manifested as mythical and powerful beings. Those of us who know of it call it Persona, but in the end, all that matters is that we can protect what we love, and show the top dogs that we are **not **all-consuming locusts; all Humans have purpose, some simply have the power to pick theirs…" Everyone was silent, and I hopped off the stone, landing on the marble floor. "Now," I said with a sigh, "Let's finish this…"

The roof of Valhalla was dark and cold with the appearance of a wide arena; how fitting. Kamasa stood at the side opposing ours, that signature smile of a sea-sick crocodile donning her face.

"Welcome to the arena. I'll skip the formalities; I do have an entire Earth to reap, after all…" She cocooned herself inside a black egg for a few seconds, before the egg shattered, and out popped the true Dark side of Hel: she was ten foot tall version of Riza, with some changes. Her skin was a sickly gray/indigo, her hair was raven black, the ribbons in it were red, her eyes were yellow-green, with the veins around her face glowing yellow. She carried a three-bladed Scythe, and she smiled before saying,

"Oh, and dear Risana, just as you found that precious guardian of yours to replace me, I found a cute Puppy to replace you!" She snapped her fingers, and out of the floor clawed a giant, matted black hellhound that stood on two legs, and had two gold ribbons bound to either of its wrists. Riza went pale and said,

"Fenrir…So, Ragnarok truly has arrived…" With that, our battle commenced.

Leon rushed Fenrir, using Thor's immense strength to pummel the hound, but that only served to anger the beast. Fenrir charged Leon, a giant claw landing on him. My eyes went wide and denial set in, but Shina reacted first,

"Leon!...You, bastard!" She casted her rain of fire with Succubus, and Hayder activated Bufudyne to support her, but Fenrir even tanked through that before swatting them into the floor. Then, he turned to me, but I was able to react.

"VEDRFOLNIR!" A rain of molten steel came down on Fenrir, making it growl in fury at me. I was able to dodge it for a few minutes, getting in hits where I could, but it was just too quick, and I ran out of energy too quick, even with what remained of the fruits. Riza rushed in front of me to protect me, but she too got crushed before she could summon Guardian. Fenrir quickly followed by slamming me into the floor.

I was fading fast… I was dying, I knew it, but…I couldn't fall here, could I…? That was all that haunted my mind as I began to fade, and saw Kamasa turn away from us, thinking we were dead…I suddenly recalled everyone I would be failing...

Hayder...

"_To be honest, you're one of the best things to happen to this team..."_

Leon...

_"I'm not leaving her side until she's able to move again!"_

Shina...

_"We could have had something...Well, if I can't be with you, I can sure as hell make sure whoever is with you keeps you happy!"_

Ami...

_"Now go out there, and kick their asses!"_

...Riza...

_"I'm trying my damn best to put up with the dark half, but how can I do that without someone to protect it from...?"_

My breath hitched in my throat, my eyes flared open, my soul ignited, and my rage, desire to protect those I love, and the fires of power all poured into one, single, word:

"_**NO."**_

**No**, she would not kill us here,

**No, **she would not feast upon a world of fearful souls when we were supposed to protect them,

**No,** she would never get to prey upon Humanity, with or without her dog,

And,

**NO, I WOULD NOT FALL.**

Something surged through me, and I was up before I knew it, with Vedrfolnir surrounded by flames behind me. It wasn't adrenaline; it burned like hell, but it didn't sting…I felt the heat though. The edges of my vision glowed orange, and instinct took over. Vedrfolnir disappeared, its essence draining into my body. Proud horns grew from my skull, a tail with a pointed spade at the end formed from the small of my back, my canine teeth turned into fangs, my tongue forked, and lastly, eight red, feathery wings emerged from my shoulder blades. I let out an inhuman roar – and when I say roar, I mean the ground was shaking – causing Kamasa to turn around. I snorted, and smoke blew out of my nostrils.

"W-what the hell are you?!" I ignored the question, and instead said,

"You know, there's a reason that my family has always had a Persona user in them." I knelt over everyone's bodies, healing them one by one, "That's because we have a special power: we can fuse with our Personas, changing our physical appearance and abilities according to the creature that best represents us, which also guarantees a stronger chance of Persona users in the family. In my case…" I said, growing to a size to match Kamasa's Goddess form's size, "It's a dragon. We're called 'Fusers,' and we are far more dangerous than any wild card. Now, where's your pet so I can tear it apart?" As if on cue, Fenrir leaped at me, but whatever had been in my body now rushed up my throat as the rage against this stupidly irritating wolf spiked; I opened my jaws as wide as I could, and felt the heat of a beam of plasmatic fire surge out of my mouth for a few seconds, knocking the dog back and burning it slightly. When he growled at me again, I blasted him with more fire until he submitted. At this point, I caught Kamasa trying to take my head off with her scythe while I was distracted out of my peripheral vision, just in time to raise a scale-armored hand and block her attack. I grabbed the scythe and threw it away, causing it to disappear into a little blotch of darkness. I walked toward Kamasa, and she began to back up. I growled at her,

"Do you want to know why you scumbags on team Evil are never going to win? You're selfish," I took a step forward, "You're childish," I took another, and she fell, but I saw her preparing a dark blast that could have destroyed me in a single shot, "But most importantly," I said with finality, "You lack conviction!" She smirked, and pointed her hand up at me, expecting to fire, but she tried saying,

"Your souls are mi—" I interrupted her by pulling her arm away, and breathing her with the strongest fire breath I could find, killing her for good. Her body, like that of a shadow's, faded away, never to be seen again. My body stopped producing the Dragon Essence, causing me to return to my Human form and size. Exhausted, my body collapsed, unconscious…

**Epilogue**

After Kamasa was killed, Valhalla just…peacefully sank into the ground, leaving no trace it was ever there. The team thought something was wrong with me, so they took me to the hospital, but I was just unconscious. When I woke up, Riza literally jumped on me, and told me of what had happened after I went out like a light; from Hayder and Shina starting to date one another, to mister Asini starting to work at a church to "repent for his sins." Just like I thought, he may have been stuck up, but he wasn't a murderer. Riza, or rather, Hel, had returned to her godly duties, but was able to get a few willing souls to help build a canal to guide the others. And since they worked so fast, the canal was done by the time I awoke.

It took me a couple months to convince everybody I was fine, and that I wouldn't turn into a huge, fire breathing Dragon/Human/Persona crossbreed at any given moment, but after I finally did, everything was fine. It was better than fine, who am I kidding?! After finishing High School, I proposed to Riza, who of course said yes! I had Hayder as my best man, and Shina was the bridesmaid. And then,

_And everyone lived happily ever after…._

Okay, if you actually thought that was the end, I'm half tempted to smack you! To this day, the team and I hunt down shadows wherever they may be, and don't even get me started on the other few times we had to go against a god-like being and I had to go Dragon on him/her. But, seriously though, Riza and I are still happily married with a single baby girl on the way, and that's about it. Hayder and I have both gone to work for the Kirijo family, specifically, we're working with the Shadow Operatives, real classified stuff. What I can say, though, is **who** we've worked with. Hayder has gone on several missions with Akihiko Sanada and the girl Aigis, while lots of my missions have consisted of either reconnaissance or taking out some of the bigger bosses, cause of, you know, my dragon form. To be honest, that's fine with me. If I got handed any of the serious assignments, I wouldn't be able to see my lovely wife, who works as a nurse at the hospital, every day! Ami is still recovering, and she lives in a Physical Rehab center, where Leon - who works in construction now - visits her every day. And then, there's Shina. Hayder never tells us, but I see her watching us every now and again, from the Shadows. She's (apparently) also part of the Shadow Operatives, but if so, I've never seen her. She's more than likely in her own unit, in that case, which means she works alone, and directly with Mitsuru. We still talk, she and I; just over the phone or a secure email, never face to face. All you guys need to know, however, is that we're still out here, fighting the good fight.

Seriously though,

_**Be careful around Midnight…**_

* * *

**A/N: Thank you so much for sitting through my story. Please read and review, but try and provide Constructive criticism, as it IS my first story...) **


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